Some Say This Is Hell
by Kat-N-Cas
Summary: The sequel to 'Radioactive Crystal'. Living as a hunter in the Mojave has proved a difficult life for Jade. But one night will change her life forever. The night she finds a lucky gambling chip.
1. Prologue

**Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up right there! This is a sequel from my other story 'Radioactive Crystal'. If you want to read this story first, go ahead, I can't stop you, but there will be spoilers in the next for sentences. You have been warned! **

Prologue

Wadswroth's antenna flickered, and he floated towards Billy and Delilah, who were perched on the couch, talking of the events that were taking place.

"I come bearing bad news." Wadswroth's robotic voice made them stop and turn to him.

He reached into his head compartment, and pulled out a note. Billy glanced at Delilah before taking, and opening the note to read it.

_ Dear Billy and Delilah,_

_ Thank you so much for your support in these past few days. Go knows it__'__s the best thing that could__'__ve happened to this family. If you__'__re reading this letter__… __then I must be dead. I knew it was coming, and I accepted it. Please don__'__t fret on my behalf. _

_ After knowing and trusting you for so long__… __I__'__d like to leave my daughter in your hands. You can do what you wish with her. You can keep her as your own, travel back to the Mojave, re-build the life you once had. Or you can send her to the Citidale, where Sarah Lyons will take care of her. Either way, please make sure she is safe. I know you two will be great parents. _

_ Tell Jade I love her. _

_Crystal Almodovar _

Billy, tears stinging his rough eyes, looked over at his wife, who couldn't bear to tare her eyes away from the desperate letter in her husbands hands. Even though they had a vague idea that Crystal was not going to return, the real, hard truth of the matter hit them both hard. Delilah's breath became shaky as she forced her eyes away from the paper, and up into her husbands teary gaze.

"What… what are we going to do?" She asked, tears surfacing now.

Billy glanced at the child asleep in the crook of the dirty couch, suckling her thumb tenderly. He looked at her for a long time before replying. He stood, went to the child, and lifted her into his arms. Delilah stayed in tormented silence as she watched her husband hold the toddler in his large arms. He stroked the child's flawless cheek with his dirt covered thumb tenderly. In that moment, love came flooding into his heart towards this child. And all at once he knew he was to be the one to keep her from danger for the rest of his life.

"…Jay…" He stuttered. "We'll call her Jay."


	2. Chapter 1: You Can Call Me Jay

Chapter 1

You can call me Jay

_'Stars of the midnight ranges, shining through the night, Stars of the midnight ranges, light my way tonight.'_

The radio played softly in the background as the family settled into the small bungalow under the Mojave's night sky. Jay had learned to walk completely on her own. Even though Billy sometimes indulged her with a ride on the Brahmin as they made their treacherous journey back to the lights of New Vegas. It had taken at least four year's for them to travel from Washington to Nevada. Billy was surprised by just how fast their journey had been, but did not miss it. He smiled as he handed a bottle of chilled, purified water to his daughter as she nestled herself on the couch, staring at a book that they had brought back with them. The resemblance between her and her true parents were strikingly obvious. Her blue eyes shined like diamonds as they stared onto the rustic pages of a pre-war book. Her golden silk hair submitted to the tight two braids on either side of her small face, accenting her soft features.

"Watcha reading?" Billy asked casually.

"Serlock is Home." Jay replied, taking the bottle from Billy's hand happily. He smiled, sitting next to her gently.

"I believe it's Sherlock Holmes." He corrected her.

"I thought so…." She mumbled, struggling to open the bottle with one hand. Billy, without even thinking, opened the bottle for her, and helped her bring the plastic to her lips. She gulped happily, enjoying the water provided for her.

"Where's Mama?" She asked after she had swallowed. She had already taken to calling the woman she's traveled with this far 'mama'. It was a revelation that happened somewhere along the trip. And it was also something that staggered the woman every time she was called by Jay, the woman never having a child of her own.

"She's just freshening up, she'll be out soon." Billy explained, leaning to see the pages of the book. "Need help?"

Jay smiled shyly at Billy. "Yes please."

The woman appeared from the washroom, only to find Jay and her husband cuddled up together on the couch, Billy tracing his fingers gently across the pages.

"It is simply, again, the means of deduction…" Billy said slowly and carefully.

"What is de-duck-soon?" Jay chirped, making the woman laugh quietly. The two glanced up at her as she came closer.

"It's 'de-duc-tion' sweetheart." She said, sitting across from them. Her brown eyes glossed over as she looked at the girl, love warming her tired heart.

"De…duck….shion…" Jay managed to say, concentration wrinkling her young features.

"Eeh, close enough." Mama laughed.

( )

"Papa, please!" Jay whined, stomping her foot on the dirt ground. Billy stood at the door, a hunting rifle in hand. He stared down into his daughters blue eyes. She had been asking for weeks now to join his hunting affairs. And no matter how many times he protested, she always came back begging harder than the last time. Despite the comfort that Delilah had provided for her, Jay had always wanted to go hunting with Papa. Billy sighed, realizing she was never going to let up.

"Alright, little one, come along with me." He said, rustling Jay's blonde hair. She smile widely, now unable to contain her excitement. But as the day went on, Billy started to regret his decision to gave into his daughters wild ideas. Although he insisted on carrying the rifle, she wanted to hold a weapon, as well. He decided to lend her a small pistol, just her size, so that she would feel better. Before he had given it to her, though, he had placed it on safety. Just in case. The gun was mainly only for her comfort. Even if she did figure out a way to pull it off of safety, there wouldn't be any bullets to fire. He had all the clips stashed away in his belt. But she treated it like it was the most precious thing in the world. Her blue eyes lit up completely as Billy handed Jade's dream to her. Now, she held the pistol to the ground carefully, a tight, yet excited expression creasing her young features.

"We're huntin' Big Horners, sweetheart. It mean's we've got to be stealthy, but fast." Billy began explaining. "Be as quiet as you possibly can. We don't want them charging on us."

"Got it."

Billy felt an extremely uneasy with his daughter hunting. When him and his wife agreed to take care of her, he promised he'd keep her safe. Seeing her clutching a pistol in her small hands made his heart skip a beat. Up until now he had always envisioned his daughter a rosy cheeked, innocent doll. It was amazing what one gun could do. Finally, in the distance, Billy's aged, but sharp eyes spotted a pack of Big Horners in the distance.

"Sshh." He whispered, instructing Jay to stop. He pointed towards the large animals. "See that?"

Jay's blue eyes widened. Billy crouched down slowly, Jay copying his every move.

"We stay quite, you hear? Them Big Horners have the best hearing in all the desert." He explained as softly as he could.

"Okay." Jay whispered back.

After a few seconds of staring at the Big Horners, Jay pipped up.

"Papa… why aren't we moving?" She asked, obviously getting impatient.

Maybe he shouldn't have brought his daughter…

"We're observing, sweetheart. 'Member, like in those Sherlock books your mother had?" He asked. Jay nodded. "It's the same, 'ere. We need to figure out when the best time to attack, is. Once we know, we'll run'in for the kill." He explained.

This seemed to get Jay on the same page, as she shut her mouth, and kept perfectly still. Billy took a few seconds to admire her stealth. Such a thing to have mastered at that age is a true miracle in these deserts. She hadn't shown that skill before… or maybe she just hadn't needed to.

Finally, once the Big Horner's were classified as 'not going anyw'ere', Billy slowly began to move towards them.

"Be careful Jay. We don't want to make them charge at us." Billy whispered as softly as he could. Jay only nodded, still pointing her pistol at the ground.

Once he was a good distance away from the Big Horner's, he looked down his scope, and aimed the shot. Then, with a quick breath, he squeezed down the trigger, and expertly hit one of the Big Horner's right in between the eyes. The large beast fell to the ground instantly, making it's fellow grazers flee as fast as they could.

"We did it, Papa, we did it!" Jay called, a large smile plastered on her face.

"That we did, Jay. That we did." Billy replied, patting his daughter on the back lovingly. Jay's eyes sparkled as she looked up at him, and he couldn't help but think of her mother. He remembered when those same eyes looked at him in admiration, but ones that belonged to Jay's mother. He didn't believe that he would be a good father, but as he looked into the smiling face of his gem of a daughter, he knew that she was left in good hands.

( )

_Ten Years Later_

It was a good day for a hunt. There was no denying that. The sun shown large in the sky, bouncing off the red rocks of the small canyon my family and I were placed in. It was bright, it was hot. Perfect day for grazing. For Big Horner's that is. It was also a perfect day to test a few things. While one of my trips to Goodsprings, I found an abandoned camp sight. Luckily, I was alone, otherwise I wouldn't have the most important thing that was in my bag. A dose of Jet. I had heard of this drug, but I had never really gave it a shot before. Mainly because of my parents. They would have been so disappointed in me if they had noticed. That was the worst thing a parent could do, in my opinion. Instead of yelling, Papa would only look at me with those saddening eyes, followed by a small shake of the head. And for the rest of the night would refuse to make eye contact with me. Mama did most of the discipline, such as sending me to my room, to a time out, or just a stern talking to. I hated the way they got upset with me. Mostly because I wasn't actually their kid… I felt like if they caught me doing something wrong, they would have wished that they had never taken me in when I was a child.

It took everything I had to keep the dose of Jet a secret. I was eighteen now, it was time for me to start experimenting on my own. Except my parents had troubles letting me go to do my own thing. It was a miracle that they had let me go alone on this trip at all. After so many hunting trips with Papa, I knew the area like the back of my hand. Once he taught me how to skin and clean a Gecko, that's when I really began making my money. No matter where I went, I could always find somebody who would pay for the hides. Even the meat was a clean seller. Every once and while I would find an egg or two. That was always a delicious a treat. After a lot of dead Gecko's, and buckets of sweat, I was finally able to afford my very own rifle. It was a mixture of a Cowboy Repeater and a Brush Gun. Papa said after all of the adjustments I had made it would now properly be called a Winchester Rifle. It sounded a little pompous calling it that, so I just called it _my _rifle. It's taken out many animals since I've bought it, and today it will kill even more. After I was quite a ways from the house, I took a seat on a large log, catching my breath.

It was _hot_ out today. Mid July was always the hottest in the nuclear Mojave desert. No matter how long I've lived here, I'll never get used to the suffocating heat that seemed to drain you of all life. I dug through my bag, and clutched the cool water bottle with my sweaty hands. I let the cool liquid flow down my throat, gasping for air when I had finished swallowing what I could. I had mostly missed my mouth, sending clean water over my neck and shoulders. I was too grateful to be upset. When I had finally got my shit together, I looked around to make sure everything was safe. When I realized it was, I plucked the Jet inhaler from my bag. I looked closely at the drug, rolling it around in my hands as I examined it closely. The substance was a mixture of Big Horner dung fumes, and the left over medicine from pre-war inhalers. The drug was rare, and sort of a delicacy, really. The effects of the drug were perfect for hunters. It made the five senses more sharp, and made you more sensitive to danger around you. Surely Papa wouldn't be _that_ mad if I told him I thought it would put more meat on the table. Then, without another thought, I took a puff. Not just a regular puff. A huge puff.

I filled my lungs with the bitter sweet fumes, and fell into a fit of coughing almost immediately. I dropped the inhaler on the ground as I doubled over, desperate for air. After what felt like an eternity of coughing, I slowly brought my head up, one hand clutching my forehead, as if to cover my eyes from the new world in front of me. Part of me was terrified. The initial excitement to trying this drug quickly wore off as my head began to pound excruciatingly. For a while all I could hear was my heart beat, and my heavy breathing. I was terrified to open my eyes, unsure of how Jet would effect my vision. Finally, after I sat there for a little while, I slowly uncovered my eyes. Then, right in front of me, was the face of the most hideous beast I had ever laid eyes on. Horns sprawled from it's head and curled upwards, jet black fur covering everything except it's bright red eyes. It snarled at me, revealing sharp, white teeth. I shrieked, jumping from my seat on the log, and ran away as fast as I could. Didn't matter where, just away. As I did I heard it calling to me… it's voice low, dark, erie, terrifying.

"Don't run!" It screeched.

I just kept running, shocked by just how clear and crisp my vision actually was now. I dove behind a large rock, hearing my heart like a drum in my ears as I waited for the beast to pass.

"Well hello there." Came a sharp, chirping voice. I nearly jumped ten meters in the air, glaring where the voice had come from. It was a teddy bear. Standing on his two feet, one eye replaced with a button, and sported a red bandana around his neck. I blinked a few times, willing the drugs to drop it's hold on me. Sure, the extra sharp senses were great and all… but this was fucking terrifying.

"What's your name?" The bear asked. I didn't answer, only continued to stare. He looked so real… "Well… my name is Ted."

"J…Jay." I stuttered, surprised by how my voice sounded now.

The bear tilted it's little head in pleasant surprise, his buttoned eyes lightening up happily.

"What a cute name." He said, followed by an obnoxious giggle.

I cupped my forehead in my hands, trying my best to catch my breath.

"Do you know that guy?" I asked, half to myself, half to this… Ted thing.

"The-The monster?" His little voice squeaked at the mention.

"So… you do know." I said, looking towards him. But instead of a cute teddy bear, it was now a Fire Gecko, looking intently into my eyes. I shrieked, jerking away from the new threat. Just then a firm hand gripped my shoulder, and I turned quickly to see the monster that had chased me. Before I could scream, it morphed into a worried expression of a man.

"Come with me." He said sternly. I didn't recognize him, but I realized there was no use in arguing. He looked like it was urgent, as if there was more than just the fire gecko. I leapt up to my feet, and was quickly shoved behind the man as he pointed his gun at the fire gecko, and fired. Then he grabbed my hand, and began running the opposite direction. Things were switching from hallucinations to reality constantly, making it so the man kept changing to a terrifying beast. After I blinked my eyes he became himself again. He stopped in mid sprint, making me bump into him.

"Hey, what was that.." I started, but he shushed me. I frowned deeply. "You did not just shush me."

"I said hush!" He snarled, looking out into the distance in concern. Then the ground began to shake underneath our feet. I looked where the guy was looking, and saw over the hill was a cloud of red fog. Following underneath it were hundreds of terrifying monsters. The kind I imagined in my head as Papa would read to me 'The Hound of Baskerville." I heard the snarling, the growling… sending shivers down to the very marrow of my bones.

"What in the hell are those?!" I yelled.

The man didn't answer, but only began sprinting the opposite direction. After a few seconds he finally answered me. "Big Horner's. Their stampeding."

I turned to look back, and sure enough, the once horrifying monsters were now regular old Big Horner's. Regular old dangerous stampeding Big Horner's…

"What are we going to do?" I asked in a panic, turning back to the man.

"_You_ are going to just follow me. Now hurry up!" He yelled. I decided there was no use in intruding, considering he had no need to save me… so instead I just complied as best I could. Soon afterwards, we shifted to the side, and quickened our pace. Then, before I knew it, I was thrown behind a cluster of bushes. I hit the ground hard, making it so that any sign of hallucinations were knocked out of me. I turned quickly to see the man throw what I assumed was a frag grenade in the distance before ducking behind the bush next to me, closer than I had thought he would get. Luckily the Big Horner's were distracted by the explosion that followed, and sped right past us.

"That… was close." I breathed, trying to catch my breath.

"Next… next time you experiment with… Jet, make sure you're not next to a flock of… fucking Big Horner's." The guy said, trying to catch his own breath.

"How did you…"

"I watched the whole thing… Yah do know you that…you need just a certain amount of… Jet for huntin'…right?"

There was a silence as I let his words float into the air.

"I think a thank you is an order." The man said. I sighed, shaking my head.

"Thank you… whoever you are." I said reluctantly.

"You're welcome….whoever _you_ are." He said back.

Another bit of silence presumed as we both caught our breath. Once we were both breathing normally, I chimed up.

"I'm Jay." I said softly.

"Brad…" He replied.

"Thanks for saving me, Brad." I said, chuckling slightly.

"You're welcome, Jay." He chuckled back. We both caught eyes for a second. His eyes were dark brown, his hair pitch black, and his skin tanned by the sun. You could tell he was a hunter just by looking at him. The smallest bit of stubble dotted his mouth, chin and jaw, making him look older than he probably was. He broke out into a smile, making me smile back. Then the two of us started laughing at each other, at how ridiculous we both were. After a little while of just sitting there, Brad lead me to where I had been before I took the dose of jet. I was surprised by just how far away it was.

"It didn't feel like that long of a way." I explained as we approached my abandoned supplies.

"Of course it didn't. Jet can do some marvellous things, but also some terrible things if not careful." He said.

"And how would you know?" I asked, stooping down to get the empty inhaler. Maybe I could sell it, remove the evidence that this whole thing had ever happened.

"Yah don't need to know a whole lot about Jet to know that it's a damn drug. Any drug will do that yah."

I swallowed deeply, stuffing the inhaler into my back pack, while checking to see if everything was still in place.

"And let me tell yah, running off like yah did wasn't helpin' your huntin' in anyway, shape nor form. Why were yah even tryin' it?" He asked.

I swung the back pack over my shoulders, securing it tightly over my back.

"Huntin'. You know, more meat on the table for my family." I explained. Brad smirked, nodding his head.

"Yeah, I understand that. What, are times tough?" He asked. I shook my head.

"Nah. Just… I just… I dunno, I just wanted to try somethin' new." I said, moving past Brad and towards the house.

"Well next time try not to use any drugs." Brad said, following after me.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back home." I said sternly. Then mumbled "Papa's gonna be angry that I'm coming home empty handed…"

"Don't worry. We got that Gecko from before." He explained. I turned my head to see that he was holding up the fire Gecko.

"I didn't think you hit it in the right place." I said in surprise.

"I always hit my target. Always."

( )

Brad seemed like a good guy. Considering he saved my life and all… Still, there was no telling what Papa would say to him. Or Mama for that matter. Brad insisted on taking me home so I'd be safe. I assured him that I was, but he just chuckled and continued to follow me. But he did promise to not speak of the Jet. The second I opened the door to the house Papa was already standing at the doorway, his eyebrows farrowed with worry. He gathered me tightly in his arms the second he saw me, not giving me enough time to put the fire Gecko down. I felt Brad quickly grab it before it could fall to the ground.

"Thank God you're alright." He mumbled. Just behind him was an equally worried looking Mama. She pushed passed him and wrapped her strong arms around me just as tight.

"Don't you ever do that again, yah hear?" She said, kissing my head over and over again. I glanced back at Brad, who only lifted his eyebrow at me.

"Who's this?" Papa asked, staring directly at Brad. Just before I had time to say something, Brad chimed up.

"My name is Brad. I found your daughter here in a bit of a pickle. I guess she didn't know Big Horner's could stampede." He explained.

Papa looked over at me, still being held by Mama.

"Is this true, Jay?" He asked. He was looking at me with those 'be honest with me' eyes. I hated lying to Papa. But if he knew I was experimenting with Jet… God knows what would happen.

"Yeah… I guess I didn't see them." I explained. Papa only stared at me for a few seconds, as if to say 'Is that the truth?' I looked down, not knowing how to handle his piercing eyes. After a little while Brad saved me.

"If it helps anything, mister, she bolted pretty damn fast. You've got yourself a runner here." He explained. Papa turned to him, glaring harshly.

"Don't you cures at me, boy." He snarled.

"Papa…" I said softly. I had never heard him so defensive…

"Sorry, sir… I didn't mean…" Brad started, but stopped and cleared his throat. He looked nervously back up at Papa.

"We uh… we got you a good catch." He murmured, holding the fire Gecko out to Papa, who took it reluctantly. After it was clear Papa wasn't going to speak again, Brad turned his attention to me.

"See yah, Jay. Keep safe." He said. I couldn't tell what he was thinking based on his expression… he was anything but an open book.

"Back atcha." I replied.

"Goodbye, Brad." Papa said sternly, and closed the door on him. Mama placed her hands on either side of my face, looking closely at me.

"Lemme see my baby. He didn't hurt yah, did he?" She asked. I tried pulling away, which only made her grip on tighter.

"No, Mama, I'm fine." I whined. She kissed me hard on the forehead before letting go of me. Right afterwards I turned to Papa, who was looking out the window suspiciously, the fire Gecko gently placed on the counter near the door.

"You didn't need to do that, Papa." I said, walking towards him.

"If that boy lays one hand on my little girl…" He started.

"But he didn't, Papa. He got me away from the stampede before I was flattened." I whined a little louder now.

"Then what's that?" He asked, turning sharply to point at my forearm. I looked, and sure enough there was a bruise in the shape of a hand print. My brows forwarded. Did he really pull me that hard? Mama gasped at the sight, rushing over to the fridge immediately.

"That's nothing." I said, rubbing my hand over the bruise. It did kind of hurt come to think of it…

"Doesn't look like nothin' to me. Jay, you be honest with me here." Papa said, coming towards me, making me gulp nervously. "Did that boy do anything, anything at all to hurt you?"

"N-no…" I said softly. Papa raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Okay! Maybe he threw me behind a bush, and yeah maybe he grabbed me a little too hard, but it was all because he was trying to save me." I explained. I flinched as Mama set a cold Nuka Cola against my bruised arm, but didn't break eye contact with Papa. He wasn't letting go…

"Jay, why in the world would yah need saving in the first place? You're a good hunter." Papa said.

"Oh, don't start…" I mumbled, turning my face away from him.

"It's the truth, and yah know it, too. There's no way you would set off a stampede like that, you know better."

"I was tired, I didn't pack enough water."

"You never not pack enough water!"

"Well, I did today!"

There was a tense silence as the two of us seethed in our own anger to each other. Despite not actually being related to Papa, we were scarily alike. We've never actually fought like this before… maybe a few harsh words, but nothing like this. Mama shifted the bottle on my arm, making me wince.

"Sorry, sweetheart." She said softly, then looked up at the two of us. "I think we should look at the bigger picture here. Jay is still here, and that's better than the alternative." She explained. After a few seconds, Papa sighed, and turned to the fire Gecko. Mama turned me towards her, inspecting the bruise a little further.

"Nice shot on this, Jay." Papa said.

"Brad shot it, Papa." I replied. He just stared at the carcass for a few seconds, tilting his head to the side.

"The boys a good shot…" He muttered.


	3. Chapter 2: No Shit

**Chapter 2**

**No Shit**

_Three Yeas Later_

"How's the weather out there today?" Jeanie May asked.

"Hot, as always. But bearable." I explained, counting the caps she handed to me. She smiled, and continued to stroke the journal I had delivered. Thirty caps. Well, it wasn't like I was giving her gold… Sighing, I stuffed the caps into my pocket, and swung my bag over my shoulder.

"Thank you again. Have a good night." She said. I tipped my hat to her before walking out and finding my motel room.

It was late, too late to travel back to Mama and Papa. So I decided to buy a room, ten caps per night. As I walked in the smell of cleaner nearly slapped me in the face, and my hand flew to my nose. Everything was in order, it seemed. The bed was clean, and so was the floor. Nothing felt strange about this place. I walked in, leaving the door open, and plopped my bag on the bed. Either Jeanie May was a clean freak, or I'm not used to 'clean' environments. I shook my head, digging my hands into my bag. I pulled out my toothbrush, tooth paste and water canteen, and headed to the bathroom. While I brushed my teeth I began to feel even more strange… When I had moved onto brushing my hair, the feeling deepened. Trying to shake the odd feeling, I tied my hair back in a messy bun, and attempted to read a Sherlock Holmes book. One that Mama and Papa brought back with them from Washington DC. For a pre-way book, it didn't look very old. But it did look well read.

My really mother used to love these books… she would read them to me even when the only words I knew were 'Mom' 'Dad' 'Please' and "No'. I wondered many times if this Sherlock Holmes character was a real person at one point. Whatever knowledge the world knew about it was now lost in the wastes. Suddenly I heard footsteps up the metal ramp towards my door. My eyes widened, and I found myself diving for the corner, hitting the lights as I did. I pushed my back against the wall, pulling my pistol from my belt quickly. The silence bit into me like a feral Gecko, but I kept my breathing steady. Then the sound of a door opening, and the shrill scream of a woman pierced through the night. I placed a calming hand on my rapidly beating chest, forcing a calming breath into my lungs. They weren't after me. Whoever they were. There was a loud crash, and then the silence presumed. The soft footsteps continued down the ramp, the door closing softly behind them. As silently as I could, I cracked open my door and peeked out. There I saw three figures, one carrying a woman over their shoulder.

My eyebrows narrowed, and I found myself slowly crouching outside of my room, and towards the strange men. Whoever those fuckers are, I'm going to make them pay. I followed them down the stairs as silently as I could, and hid behind the corner of the small shop as they walked passed it. Then a deep, low voice boomed through the silence. I strained my ears to listen in, but then realised it was in a different language. After a few more seconds I realised it was Latin… Damn. I've never learned Latin before. I never needed to. The only people in the waste's who spoke Latin where not the kind of people who I wanted to tango with… wait a second… Holding my breath, I peeked my head around the corner and saw two Legionnaires, wearing feather helmets, red black and white armour, goggles and bandanas. I could see an assault rifle being clutched in the hands of the one farther away from me, and a machete in the others. A woman was draped over his shoulder, completely still. They looked utterly terrifying. I quickly pulled my head back, smacking my hand over my mouth as a gasp threatened.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to keep calm. The Legion where the most horrifying group in the Mojave. I had heard one horrible story after another about these guys, and I never wanted to run into them at all. I always stayed around areas they weren't regularly around… Novac was usually never targeted. Why were they here? The door opened again, and soft footsteps followed. Then the low voice continued, followed by another voice, both in Latin. I was way in over my head. How the hell am I supposed to save a woman I've never met from three Legionnaires? I was a hunter, a courier, not a fighter! My eyes darted back to my door, and I cursed under my breath. There was no way I could save her. As slowly as I could, slower than I was going before, I inched towards the stairs. The low voices continued, careful to not wake the town. As I made my way back to the stairs a thought came upon me. Why were they in the building? Why are they looking for a certain woman? While I was on the fifth step the rickety metal creaked oh so slightly, making me freeze. I squeezed my eyes shut.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck… Oh God, please let them not have heard. I forced my eyes open, my teeth clenched, and I slowly inched my head to see if they were fazed. In the last second I had realised the voices stopped, just before my eyes laid upon a Legionnaire staring straight at me. Shit.

"Uh… hi." I said awkwardly. The man just glared at me, his eyebrows narrowing deeply over his goggles.

Before I could scream he pulled me down the stairs, and pinned me to the ground, pushing my cheek against the dirt. He forced my hands behind my back, and began tying them.

"Ge-" Before I could finish my scream, he pushed my head face first into the ground, hitting my nose hard on the ground, and forced dirt to pile up in my mouth. After my hands were tied securely behind my back, I was forced to my feet, the large machete held to my throat. I restrained myself from coughing as the machete pressed against my neck, threatening to pierce my skin.

"Speak and die, profligate." The man hissed quietly. He pushed me forwards, and towards the other two Legionnaires. The one still had the woman over his shoulder, where as the other one who was in the building stood patiently next to him. The man who had me began to speak in Latin again. I rolled my eyes, making the man with the red feather helmet come towards me quickly. Before I knew what was happening he smacked me right across the face, a serge of pain shooting from underneath his hand. I felt trickles of blood coming down my nose, and towards my mouth.

"Would you mind explaining what exactly you were doing sneaking on us?" The man asked, his voice sending shivers down my spine.

"I… I didn't know it was you… I…" I stuttered, the taste of iron filling my mouth. The man raised his hand, indicating me to stop talking. I frowned. Right, Legionnaires where completely and utterly sexist. How could I have forgotten?

"You are to never speak of this night to anyone. Otherwise we will know." He continued.

"So… you're just going to let me go?" I asked in genuine surprise.

"It is against our contract. We came here for one woman, not two." He explained.

He signalled the Legionnaire that was holding me to let go, and he obeyed.

"You will not follow us. Understood, _lupa_?"

I wiped my mouth, and timidly nodded my head as they turned away from me. As I watched them walk away a deep guilt burrowed in the pit of my stomach, and before thinking I ran after them, pulling my pistol from my belt.

"Where are you taking her?" I asked, louder than I should have. The head Legionnaire turned to me, and in the same motion punched me square in the face, knocking me straight to the ground. In a few painful seconds he walked towards me slowly, and crouched down in front of me.

"You will only speak when spoken to, _lupa_." He nearly snarled. The person behind him glanced around nervously, making me narrow my eyes at him.

"This is a private job, isn't it?" I asked daringly.

The man's hand slammed on my neck, cutting off my windpipe. My eyes widened in shock, and my hands flew to his strong arm against my neck.

"You will listen to me, and you will listen to me carefully, filthy profligate." He snarled straight at me. My lungs began to burned for air as I looked up into the terrifying gaze of the soldier.

"You will forget this night. You will never speak of what has happened. You will leave this town in the morning, and you. Will. Comply. Got it?" He asked, jerking his hand against my neck for affect. He slowly lifted his hand from my neck, and then stared at me for a few seconds as I recovered, coughing up dirt and blood.

"I should kill you." He said simply.

He pulled a knife from his belt, and placed it against my neck, making me freeze.

"D-don't…" I squeaked, utterly terrified, voice scratchy and weak…

A dark smirk appeared on the mans face, and he turned my head to the side with a snap, slapping my cheek against the dirt. My legs were pinned by the other Legionnaires, and the man set a crushing knee on my chest, keeping me in place. I felt the cold metal pierce into the skin on my neck, making me cringe sharply. But I couldn't move, I could barely even squirm under the weight of these guys. I didn't dare to… I squeezed my eyes shut as the pain became nearly unbearable. Finally, the man pulled the knife away, and quickly got off me. I opened my eyes to see him pick up my pistol that had been knocked from my hand, and pointed it at my face.

"Please…sir, don't…" I stammered.

"My name is Silus. Don't forget that." The man said through his teeth.

A mocking smile twisted his lips, and he brought the handle of the pistol down hard on my head, knocking me out cold.

( )

The sunlight intruded the darkness of my slumber, and I slowly opened my crusted over eyes. Groaning, I sheltered the blinding light from my face. Then I remembered the night before. I moved my hand towards my neck, tracing my fingers against the mass amount of dried blood. The sharp pain was now replaced with a dull throbbing, making me close my eyes again. So they didn't kill me. I assumed he was hitting my jugular… but I guess not. I set my hand over my aching forehead, feeling the bump that had developed over night. Then I heard footsteps come near me, making my eyes open painfully again. Jeanie May stood over me, looking as if she had just seen a ghost.

"Good lord, lady, what happened to you?" She asked, crouching down next to me.

_You will forget this night. You will never speak of what's happened._ Silus' voice boomed in my head.

"Uh… I don't know…" I stammered, letting her slip her hand underneath my back and lift me up. Sweat had developed on my back over night, and my mouth was still covered in blood. I guess I wasn't exactly a sight for sore eyes…

"Do you remember anything?" Jeanie asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

"N…no… Nothing." I said, placing a hand over my throbbing neck.

"Come with me, sweetheart, we'll fix you right as rain." She said, lifting me up, and walked me towards the town.

( )

"Ow! That really hurts, yah know?" I whined as Jeanie May pressed a rag dipped in vodka on my wound.

"I know, just hold on. Who did this to you?" She asked.

_Understand, lupa?_ The voice boomed again.

I shook my head. "I don't remember anything." I repeated.

"So you don't remember being dragged out of your room, beaten, cut up, and knocked out?" Jeanie May asked harshly.

"I said I don't know, okay?"

There was a silence as Jeanie continued cleaning my wound. After a few second she shook her head, and walked towards her desk.

"I just hate to see my customers hurt on my expense." She explained, grabbing a bandage.

Yeah, how about that woman that was captured right out of her room? And further more, why did Silus walk into her office? Jeanie May came towards me, setting gauze around my wound and taping it together. "Where was Vargas?"

"Vargas?"

"He's the guard. He usually stays up in the dinosaurs head."

"Is he there at night?"

"Uh… no… that's Boone's job."

"Then where was he?"

Jeanie frowned, backing away to look at the job she did.

"I don't know… I might have to have a talk with that man." There was something strange about the way she spoke. Something… wrong. Like how I was feeling last night before the attack.

"Right… well, do you know where to find him?" I asked.

Suddenly the doors slammed open, making both of us jump. I turned my head quickly to see a man in a grey shirt, baggy pants, a red NCR beret and aviators. There he is.

"Where is she?" Boone seemed to growl. There was at least a few seconds before Jeanie May answered.

"What?" She asked.

"You know who!" He belted, coming towards us. My eyes flashed, and I got up quickly.

"Well, thanks for stitching me up, Jeanie. I'll be on my way now." I said quickly, rushing towards the door. Before I could Boone grabbed my arm firmly.

"Where's Carla?" He growled again.

"I… I don't know." I said, trying to be as calm as I possibly could.

There were a few seconds of intense eye contact before he finally let go of my arm, and I was free to leave. He didn't do anything to me after that, but it was clear he wanted me gone. And I wanted to go just as bad.

( )

As I began my long walk back home, I attempted putting the pieces of the puzzle together. I knew Novac was trouble the second I wandered in. But I had no idea it was going to be _that_ bad, in fact I don't think anyone would. I retraced the map in my mind, sighing as the same conclusion was clear. It wasn't adding up. Why would they go specifically to Novac? They said they had a contract… but with whom? Then it hit me. The journal. The office. The lights were still on. Silus walking out, no doubt the office was still open. There was no panic. Carla… Boone's wife. Gone. Kidnapped. Taken.

_You will forget this night._

I shook my head, re-adjusting my backpack. No, it can't be… can it? I turned around to look at the town one last time, only seeing the giant Dinosaur from the distance I was at. Jeanie May sold Carla to the Legion?

( )

"Who the hell did this to you?" Papa's voice boomed in the stillness of the empty house. Mama had gone to tend to the crops, leaving only him and I together. His ears were beat red… he was furious. I had never seen him this mad before.

"I… I don't know, I don't remember any of it." I tried my best to lie, but wasn't doing a great job. Lying to Jeanie and Boone was easy, but lying to Papa? Never. And he knew it. Eventually he caught on to the Jet I tried a while ago, and ever since insisted on checking my back pack before I left for a hunt. It sucked, but I felt like I deserved it. He crouched down to see me eye to eye.

"Jay, you tell me what happened, and you tell me now." He said sternly.

_I should kill you…_

"I'm not a child anymore, Papa! I'm telling the truth!" I screeched, walking away from him.

"Oh yeah, and the skies purple! Jay, whoever did that to you needs to pay."

"Just get off my back, will you?!"

"No, I won't! Whoever laid a hand on my little girl…"

"I am _not_ your little girl!" I screamed.

There was a silence from then on. The look that came upon Papa's face was enough to break my heart. I felt tears form in my eyes, and I rushed towards the back door, running out before I could hear what he had to say next.

I ran fast, away from Papa's broken stance, away from Silus' threats, away from last night… The wind was refreshing against my hot skin, and I kept moving. Further and further. Until I had finally reached my favourite spot. It was right underneath a small broc flow tree, with a nice smooth rock to sit against. I let myself slide into the regular position I always assumed when consulting this spot. I let my head fall into my hands as I focused on nothing but my breath for what seemed an eternity. How am I supposed to keep this a secret from my own family? How low am I to play the card of adoption? Papa wasn't my real dad. My real dad was from Washington DC, and so was my mother. They gave me to Billy and Delilah when I was just turning four, claiming they couldn't take care of me anymore. I never figured out why. I've never used the card of adoption before because I knew it would hurt Papa more than anything.

"Damn you, Silus." I muttered into my sweaty hands.

"Who's Silus?" A familiar voice asked.

I sighed, looking up to see Brad staring down at me.

"Could you _be_ more creepy?" I asked, an edge to my voice. He only smiled and sat down next to me. After the incident with the Jet, he was always looking out for me. Mama and Papa eventually got used to him, as he continually took care of me. I wasn't very sure what we were. The line between dating and being really good friends blurred, making him kind of my best friend slash boyfriend.

"Been a while since you've sat here." He said calmly.

"Yeah, well, occasion calls for it, I guess." I grumbled, pulling my legs to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. Brad took a few moments to reply.

"And what's the occasion?" He asked finally.

I sighed, shaking my head, tears threatening again. When I didn't answer, he continued.

"Come on, you can tell me." He urged on, wrapping his arm around my shoulder, and pulled me towards him. I looked into his eyes… his calming eyes…

"The Legion… they attacked Novac." I said as quietly as I could, as if Silus could here me all the way from the fort.

"No shit?"

"No shit."

"What did they want?"

"One person. Carla." I said, shaking my head and looking into the distance again. "Jeanie made a contract with them, and they were only after her. Silus was the leader of the group that went over. I… I tried to save her… and they jumped me." With that Brad's whole body seemed to stiffen.

"What did they do?" He asked, his voice dipping an octave.

"He said he was going to kill me… but he cut my neck, then booked it."

"Let me see it."

I shifted sideways, moving my hair off my neck to let him take a good look. I cringed as he peeled back the bandage.

"How does it look?" I asked.

He didn't reply, and set the bandages back on. He looked away in the distance, a dark look coming across him.

"What?" I asked.

"It's nothing. You'll be fine." He said evenly.

"Brad, you know you can't lie to me. What is it?" I asked.

With a large sigh, Brad looked to the ground in thought. Just before I was about to say something again, he spoke.

"It's a warning."

Brad knew a lot about the Legion. It kind of surprised me, to be honest. Everything I knew about the Legion, he taught me. His brother was captured by the Legion when Brad was sixteen. They had tried everything to reason with them, but nothing worked. Soon after, his brother was killed, leaving Brad to pick up the pieces. Ever since he's had a special kind of knowledge towards the Legion. And if I didn't know any better, I'd say he wanted revenge.

"A warning?" I asked.

"Yes… It's the beginning of the Latin marking of 'Death'. If any Legionnaire sees you with that thing, you're in a hell of a lot of trouble."

"What kind of trouble?"

Brad looked out at the distance again before responding.

"They'll either finish the marking, or… kill you. Depending on their mood."

"No shit?" I asked.

"No shit."

( )

"So how many other girls have you been with?" I asked Brad as we walked down the old, beaten road towards our houses. Our kills were fresh, and fit nicely on our Brahmin. Brad chuckled.

"Do you really want to know?" He asked back.

"Uh, yeah. Duh." I replied. There was a short pause as Brad took a deep breath.

"Four." He replied.

"Four…"

"Minus the ones from Gomorra. But those were just one time deals."

"Do you still go there?"

"What do yah think?" Brad asked, smirking at me teasingly.

"Not sure. I mean, sometimes you're gone for days at a time. How do I know you're not off with another girl?" I asked.

"Well, let's break this down. Every-time I go away, it's for trading. And I never stay in New Vegas. Well, anymore."

"That's still purely based on trust."

"Now yah don't trust me?"

"I never said that."

Brad chuckled again.

"Half the time I'm with John." He said.

"John is kinda desperate."

"Which should give you more incentive to trust that I'm not sleeping around with other girls."

"How exactly does that work?"

"I'm too busy being his wing-man."

I stayed quite for a few more seconds, watching my feet as we kept walking.

"What is it?" He asked after about a minute.

"Nothing… I was just thinking…"

"Thinking what?"

"Well… I'm a virgin." I said softly, almost just to myself.

Brad looked at me, but I was too shy to look back.

"That's nothin' to be ashamed of, Jay." He explained.

"I know… it's just I'm a little more… well, ill-experienced."

"So? That don't matter to me."

"What?" I looked at him now.

"Yeah. I mean, just because you're a virgin don't mean I'm gonna like you any less."

"I won't be as good…"

"I don't care. Jay, you're perfect to me."

"You don't think I have man hands?"

"I love your hands."

"And you don't think my nose is too big?"

"Are yah kiddin'? It's button sized."

"And my mouth?"

"What's wrong with your mouth?"

"It's small."

"I never noticed."

"What about my hair?"

"Now you're being ridiculous. What's wrong with your hair?"

"It's too blonde, too thick, too…"

"Too perfect."

I rolled my eyes, looking down at the ground. All of a sudden Brad stopped, his head turned to the side, looking out into the distance.

"What?" I asked, slightly worried.

He took a few painstaking moments to respond. And when he did, it was underwhelming.

"I have somethin' to show yah." He said, steering the Brahmin towards where he was looking.

I followed quickly after him.

( )

"What is this place?" I asked as we stepped into an abandoned shed. It was old and rustic, yet warm and inviting. There was one bed, one couch, and just a few chairs scattered here and there. The walls were spread with small fairy lights, only lighting up the small room slightly. There was no light coming in from the outside, making it a lot homier.

"It's my little getaway. I've been working on it for a few months, now." Brad explained.

"A few months?" I asked in surprise.

"Do you know how hard it is to find twinkle lights?"

I chuckled "Never thought of it."

Brad took my bag from my back, and set it to the side.

"What are you doing?" I asked cautiously.

"Shh." He almost whispered. He stood right in front of me now, staring straight into my eyes. Gently, he reached his hand out and placed it on my cheek. I stared back at him, unsure yet trusting. His hand travelled to my neck, my shoulder, my arm, and grabbed hold of my hand. He lifted it up, studying it a little.

"I like this." he said softly, and pressed his lips to the back of my hand. Then he stroked the back of my head, tugging softly at my tightly braided hair. He worked out the elastic, pulling my hair out of my braid.

"I like this." He breathed, running his finger through my thick, now wavy hair, and kissed the top of my head. He pulled back, smiling sideways as he poked my nose playfully.

"I like this." Then he kissed it. Softly. Lovingly. There was no space between us anymore. My hands travelled to his waist, then up and around his back. He set his thumb on my mouth, stroking it lightly.

"I _love_ this." He whispered. He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine, and I let him. The kiss progressed, our lips parting almost immediately. His fingers ran through my hair, softly holding the back of my head. Then both of his hands found my waist, and hoisted me up on top of him. My legs wrapped around his hips, our lips never parting. I placed both of my hands on both sides of his face, kissing him fiercely now. My long hair cascaded over his head, and tickled his shoulders. He sat on the bed, his hand's running up and down my back. They travelled underneath my shirt, tugging at my tight cloth holding my breasts underneath. I pulled away, and nearly ripped off my shirt. And everything else. Brad's hands moved to my shoulders, and to either side of me. I set both hands on his chest, leaning down and kissing him again. I moved my hands down to the bottom of his shirt, tugging at it gently. He pulled away, lifting his shirt over his head, and nearly threw it across the room. Our lips met again, this time fiercer then ever.

( )

We laid together on the old bed, legs tangled together, our eyes never loosing their contact. Brad stroked my hair soothingly, smiling softly at me. My arm was tucked underneath his, my hand travelling up and down his back. His fingers brushed over the scar on my neck lovingly. Whenever he saw it, he always told me he'd protect me no matter what. He didn't have to tell me now. I knew.

"Was that good?" I breathed. Brad chuckled softly.

"Is that even a question?" He asked back. He always answered a question with another.

"I mean… compared to those Gomorrah girls."

"Do yah want me to be honest, Jay?"

"Always."

Brad's smile softened as he continued to stare at me.

"You were perfect. Which wasn't much of a surprise." He said, making me giggle.

"You weren't half bad, yourself. But then again, I have nothing else to compare it to."

"Do yah _want_ something to compare it to?"

I took a breath, taking in the moment, never wanting it to end.

"Never." I said. There were very few things I was completely sure of. But this one I knew. I knew it with all my heart.


	4. Chapter 3: A Bullet Of Lies

**Whoa! I'm uploading! *faints* **

**No but really, this thing is almost done and I am astonished by how little I upload on this thing. Whateves. Almost done, and hopefully whoever is reading this will enjoy it. ^_^**

**Chapter 3**

A bullet of lies

_Two years later_

My feet crunched against the irradiated ground of the Mojave Desert. My breath was short and shallow as I forced myself up the hill, and towards the house. This past package was all right, not too hard, but pretty boring, for the most part. It was up in Red Rock Canyon, where I delivered the a chemistry set to a bunch of Great Kahn junkies. They paid well, so the trip wasn't worth nothing. I clutched a dead gecko tightly, it's limp body draped over my shoulders nicely. I made sure the bullet wound was facing towards the ground, so it would bleed out away from me. Papa would be happy with this kill. We've been running out lately. A Big Horner would be more like it, but I found them hard to find. Plus it would be a pain in the ass to carry back home by myself, and Brad was busy. Papa always knew where to find them… but he hasn't been hunting lately. Ever since Mama got sick, he's just been sitting on his chair, smoking his pipe. He never leaves the house. Maybe occasionally to tend the crops while I was out, but other than that he usually just stayed inside. I smiled when I smelt the familiar smoke of Papa's pipe as I approached the door. As softly as I could, I pushed the door open, and was immediately welcomed by the smoky atmosphere of the house.

"Oh good, you're home." Papa said immediately, looking up from his book. He was reading now… all right, that's a bit of a change. A good one, though.

"Yup. Caught dinner, and earned five hundred caps, just for you, Papa." I grinned, winking at him before plopping the dead gecko on the skinning table.

"That's ma' girl." He replied, sighing as he closed his book, and setting his pipe on its stand. He stood up, clutching his walking stick as he did.

"Don't worry, Papa, I've got this." I explained, pulling the skinning knife from the drawer.

"No, I insist, darling. Lemme help with somethin'." His voice was old and gravely as he waddled towards me. I'd rather have him sit… what if he was getting sick, too? But once Papa puts his mind to something, there's no stopping him. I pursed my lips together, trying to think of something for him to do.

"Um, how about you clean off a cactus fruit from the fridge?" I asked. Papa nodded his head, and did what I asked.

"How's your Fiancé?" He asked as I began skinning the Gecko hide.

"Brad? He's good… I think. I haven't seen him today." I explained.

The ring around my finger became ten times heaver as I sliced into the Gecko's flesh. He asked me to marry him after one night in the shed. It was an odd sort of marriage proposal, but he was an odd guy himself. So it fit.

"You should check in on him." He said, making me smile. That would be nice… Then I thought of Mama, and shook my head.

"He can wait." I said simply.

For a few moments it was like old times, before Papa got old. Before his hair became grey and patchy. I smiled as the sizzling of Gecko meat on the pan filled the small cot, as well as the familiar smell. Gecko and Big Horner meat will always remind me of home. Finally Papa sat, complaining that his leg started bother him. I took care of dinner for that night. It's not like it was the first night that I've ever done it… but tonight felt different. In fact, the whole night felt different. But I just couldn't quite put my finger on what. When I brought the food in for Mama the place seemed like a layer of despair laid over it. It killed me to see Mama like that… cuddled in bed, clutching onto the life that she had left in her. I slowly made my way towards her, setting her food on the night table next to her. She didn't move. I sighed, sitting next to her on the bed. I ran my fingers through her soft, grey and black hair lovingly, hoping to wake her up softly. When she didn't move I resorted to whispering to her.

"Mama?" I asked delicately.

For a few pain staking seconds, she didn't move. Then finally she stirred, making me sigh in relief.

"Oh my god, Mama…" I said, looking into her opening eyes. She smiled softly, groaning in exhaustion.

"What is it, darling?" She asked lovingly.

I swallowed down tears roughly, picking up the plate of her dinner.

"Gecko and Cactus fruit. For you." I explained.

Mama smiled softly again, sitting up painfully. I set the plate on the bed quickly, and helped her up.

"Thank you darling." She groaned, and grabbed her dinner. "Oh, looks amazing."

"I'll just get some water." I said quickly, and rushed to the door. Once I was in the hall way I pushed my back on the wall, slapping a hand over my mouth in a desperate attempt to cover my sobs. My head lowered, and I forced my tears to stay quiet. I knew she didn't have much more time left. And neither did Papa.

* * *

The house was empty, and quiet. Brad said he would come around as soon as he could, and it was just about getting dark. I sat motionless on the couch, staring blankly at a small box in front of me. Mama passed away, and soon afterwards, Papa followed. We buried them under the large Broc Flower tree in our backyard…Just before Papa died, he pulled out this box for me from under his bed. It had collected dust from years of it being tucked away. I've been actively ignoring it for a few days now. It sat in the middle of the house, just burning me up with curiosity. Papa didn't explain much about it… only that it had some belongings from my true parents. It mustn't have been holding too much, since it was pretty small. I was too afraid to open it, thinking that the last remaining parts of Mama and Papa would be sucked into the vortex that was the box. The box of mysteries. I hadn't told Brad about it, either. Which was probably a bad idea. But I just couldn't bring it up… not with everything else that had happened. I fiddled frantically with a small, silver gambling chip in my hands. I had found it in the bottom of my ruck-sack after my last delivery. I had no clue how it had gotten in there, but to be honest, I didn't care. It was smooth, small, and nice to look at. It said 'The Lucky Thirty Eight' on it in flashy letters. I considered it my lucky charm… even though my luck was running short. The damn thing was so shiny I could see my own reflection in it. I saw my own eyes staring back at me, my long blonde hair loose at the side's of my face. I didn't have the energy to braid it, or do anything to it. My mind throbbed, and my fingers twitching as the agony of my curiosity burned too fierce. I stuffed the lucky chip into my pocket, and soon the box was clutched in my dirt caked hands. The possessions rattling as I did. I cursed myself as worry began to flood through me. Did I break anything? Taking a deep breath, I ripped off the lid. I just stared for a few seconds, not registering what it was at first. The first thing I saw was a stack of loose pictures, and one framed. The framed one held a picture of a young girl holding up a BB gun in triumph with a man next to her. I shuffled through the stack of photo's one by one, not recognising anybody in them. Then, finally, I uncovered a larger framed picture. This one was of a couple holding a child in their arms. They were both smiling ear to ear, obviously proud of their accomplishment. I looked closely at the woman, noticing half of her face was slightly darker, as well as her arm… then I noticed it was metal.

"Who _are_ you?" I asked. I turned the frame around, and found some handwriting on the back.

'_April 4, 2278. Jade-Diamond Almodovar's birth.'_

…Me? Are those my… parents? Suddenly I remembered small hands brushing a metal arm curiously, a warm chuckle coming from behind me. I dropped the picture frame back into the box in shock. Blue eyes. Bright blue eyes piercing from the darkness, soft and comforting. My small hand reaching upwards and touching the metal cheek. My eyes squeezed shut, and my breathing became short and laboured. I remembered a mans face, gentle and inviting, a warm smile spread across his lips. His voice was tender, loving. When I opened my eyes again my hands cradled my throbbing head. But there was more. I pushed through the discomfort, and dug my hands through the box again. I found a leather bound journal, a small string wrapped around it. But before I could open it my eyes were focused on what was on the bottom of the box. A holotape, a little smaller than the ones I knew. On the cover was scrawled 'For Jade.' My breath stopped, and I had to remind myself to let air into my lungs. Papa had told me about these things. They were a more advanced version of a holotape. Instead of recording just voice, it also recorded video. My trembling fingers lifted it slowly, and my eyes caught sight of our television. We never really used it, it was more there for show than anything. I shoved the holotape into what I hoped was the right place, and switched on the knob. To my luck, it turned on immediately. First it showed a hand covering the screen, then as it pulled back it showed a woman with black hair, a metal face, and a metal arm. My mother. She sat down, and stared into the screen. Her eyes were strikingly blue. The same blue eyes… After a deep breath, she began to speak.

"Hello… Jade. I uh… I need to explain a few things." She began. Her voice was distant, as if her mind was elsewhere. Her accent made it clear that she was from Washington DC. She stopped as she pursed her lips together. "I don't know when you'll watch this… or _if_ you'll watch this… but there's somethings I need to tell you. First of all, this…" She pointed to the metal part of her face. "… is nothing to worry about. I was young, arrogant, and I paid the price. I can only hope you haven't done the same." She breathed again. "Well, I was raised in a Vault. Vault 101. Your… grandmother died birthing me. When I was nineteen, your grandfather left, and I followed him. Which was the opposite of what he wanted for me. Well, he ran off to continue something called 'Project Purity.' Him and some other doctor's had wanted to cleanse the worlds water from radiation. It never worked… until he found the last bit of the puzzle." She shifted nervously in her seat. "He died protecting it… and soon, I think I'll follow in his footsteps. The Enclave have it now… in my present time. And, well, I can only hope they don't when you're watching this." She breathed out quickly from her nose, looking down at her hands. "Your father, Amato passed away… getting the final piece of the puzzle. It was a G.E.C.K, a Garden of Eden Creation Kit. He sacrificed himself for it. And I… I don't want you to think that I left you 'cause I didn't love you." Her voice broke, and she forced herself to look up again. "Because I do. Jade… I love you so much. And I just wish I could see you now. There's no doubt in my mind you're beautiful, and smart… You were always so much like your father…" She breathed again. "I'm leaving you in the hands of an organisation that will help protect you. Even if you don't like their rules, please Jade, please just listen to them. Cause they know how to keep you safe. And…if there's one thing I can say to you, it'd be this, Jade. Whatever the consequences, and whoever stands in your way of doing the right thing… just do it. No matter what." She stared into the screen for a long time now. She swallowed deep before speaking again.

"I love you. Keep well." And with that, the video ended, leaving me alone again. Alone in the stillness, in the quiet. She didn't leave me… she didn't walk out. Neither of them did. They both self sacrificed. I wasn't meant to be here. Anger flush through me, my fists clenching so tightly I was worried they had pierced my skin. They lied to me. Mama and Papa… Billy and Delilah. They lied. I wasn't supposed to be theres. My hands began to sting, and I looked down to see blood dripping to the floor. Liars. Did they even know my true parents? Did they kidnap me? Did they steal all these things from them? It was all too much. Everything was. And soon I was running out the door, and into the night.

* * *

The wind screamed in my ear as I ran as fast as I could, away from everything. I didn't know where. Down the road. Maybe find an abandoned trailer. Or even find that shed Brad had… But I just kept running. Farther and farther. Until eventually my legs gave out, and I collapsed to the ground. I plunged my bloody hands into my hair, breathing heavy, my heart beating rapidly. There was no way of asking now. They were all dead. All of them. Questions burned me from the inside out. A deep rumbling began in my chest, which soon manifested into a blood curdling scream.

"You lied! Both of you!" I screeched, looking up into the sky. As if all of the ghosts could hear me. My forehead hit my leg as I began sobbing, tears dripping down into the dust.

"Everything they told me…" I muttered into the ground. "A lie."

I was alerted by heavy footsteps next to me, and I snapped my head up to see just the silhouette of a man.

"Not everything." His voice was airy, and thick with a New Vegas accent. Before I could say anything, something hit the back of my head forcefully. Darkness followed.

* * *

My eyes peeled open, revealing my tied hands out in front of me. They were still freshly bloody, but smudged and covered in dirt. I looked up to see two men, who I guessed were Great Kahns, and one man in between them. He sported a checkered suit, and had his back to me.

"Boss. She's awake." A voice came from behind me, followed by a harsh kick to the back. When I didn't respond I was pulled up painfully to my knees. The moon from the distance rested in between two branches of a small broc flower tree. I tried to figure out where I was… but it was too dark. And I was too terrified. The two Great Kahns looked around nervously, clutching their guns tightly. One had an orange mohawk, and the other's head was shaved. The man with the checkered suit turned around slowly, looking at me straight in the eyes.

"Hello, baby doll." He seemed to purr. Same voice. Same accent as before.

"Wh-what…" I stuttered.

"I wouldn't talk too loud. Don't want to get a bullet in the head." He said with a grin. The whole crowd around us shared a dark chuckle, making the hairs on my neck stand on end. I took a deep breath before trying to speak again, but the man spoke before I did.

"I'm sorry you had to be caught up in all this. Truly I am." He looked at me solemnly, digging into his coat pocket, and pulled out a small silver coin. Wait… no, a gambling chip. My lucky gambling chip! "You've made your last delivery, kid." He waved the chip in the air for emphasis, and then stuck it back into his pocket. In the same motion, he pulled out a silver pistol, carved with different swirls and flowers. My breath became short and shallow as I looked into his gaze.

"You… you said you weren't gonna shoot me." I almost whined. The man tsked, shaking his head almost sadly.

"I never said I wasn't. I just said you don't want a bullet in your head. Which you don't." He cocked the pistol slowly, sending chills down my spine.

"Is there a way outta this? S-somebody to apologize to…" I stuttered.

"Afraid not." The man said, lifting the pistol to me.

"Please… I don't even know what I did wrong…" Tears threatened as I said this, making me curse myself.

"You don't have to know."

The man with the orange mohawk shifted nervously, turning to the man with the pistol.

"Boss, would you get this over with…." He started, but the 'boss' lifted his hand in protest.

"Great Kahns may kill like savages. But I like to look my kill straight in the eyes." He explained, followed by another sigh. "Again, I'm sorry you had to get tied into this whole thing. But the truth is…" The man set his finger over the trigger. "The game was rigged from the start." Then in an instant, the sound of a gun filled my ears, and then nothing.


	5. Chapter 4: Where Is He?

**Wow! I haven't uploaded in a long time. Well, here it is! I'm hoping to get this all uploaded here soon. The story is so close to being done. I just need to finish a couple scenes, then it'll be good to go! **

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fallout New Vegas_

**Chapter 4**

**Where is he?**

My eyes flittered open lazily. Everything was blurry, and too bright at first. Soon my eyes focused on a spinning ceiling fan. It got harder to keep my eyes open, but I forced them as I attempted to sit up. As I did, the world became increasingly blurry, and a hand reached out to grab my shoulder. I flinched sharply away from the touch, then my eyes focused on the man in front of me.

"Mitchell?" I asked, my voice slurring as I stopped fighting him off.

"Easy now, Jay." His voice was low and smooth, sending reassurance through me.

"What… what happened?" I asked. Just then the pain began to set in. My head began to pound brutally, making me grab my forehead tightly as I grunted in pain. I felt Mitchell's hands grasp my arms tightly, and I vaguely heard him speak. It felt like I was underwater. I stammered, my eyes rolling back and forth, unable to focus on anything. I slumped against the wall behind me, and decided then to stop trying to move. After a few moments the world slowed again, and I let myself focus on Mitchell's face.

"You okay?" He asked, his accented voice slightly higher than before.

"Y-yeah…" I stammered. "I just don't think I should get up right away, is all."

Mitchell nodded slowly.

"Understandable. Do you remember what happened?" He asked.

I closed my eyes, seeing the mans face again, staring down at me through the sights of a pistol. Flinching, I forced my eyes open again.

"Yes." I nearly whispered.

"What did they want?" He asked.

"A chip… a, uh…" I struggled to retrieve the memory. "A lucky chip."

Mitchell's face remained blank as he nodded his head at me.

"And why did they want it?"

I shook my head.

"Dunno." Then it clicked. "Was I shot in the head?"

"Yes." Mitchell said blatantly.

My hands flew up to my head, immediately feeling the absence of hair.

"What did you do?" I asked in shock.

"I saved your life, that's what I did. But in order to do that, I needed to remove a few things. Including your hair." He explained. My hands found a scar in the shape of an engraved circle on my forehead. Great. That's going to be attractive.

"How… long have I been out?" I asked. Mitchell shrugged.

"A few weeks." He said calmly. My eyes widened.

"_A few weeks!_" I yelled.

"Your folks gonna be worried?" Mitchell asked, his eyebrows forwarding. I stopped, my anger melting away instantly.

"No, they're gone…but my fiancé's still around. He's gonna be worried sick…" I muttered.

"I'm sure he's fine, Jay." Mitchell said soothingly. I looked up at him, my eye's sore from the pain. Normally I'd trust Mitchell. But this was different. Doubt lingered in the back of my mind like a nagging voice. Brad wasn't fine. And something deep inside of me knew it.

( )

"You ready?" Mitchell asked, one hand on my shoulder. The things that I had on me were recovered, which didn't involve much. Dirty white tank top, rolled up jeans, cargo boots, and a torn up white bandana. I had the bandana wrapped around my head now, attempting to hide my scar. Mitchell provided me with some water, a few stimpacks, and a bunch of caps. About five hundred, to be exact. It was too nice of a gesture, but there was no way I was going to turn it down. Before I was allowed to leave, I was given a series of tests by Mitchell. After at least five hundred questions about myself, and even more rorschach's, I was free to go. He explained to me that I may feel a little different, including not being able to find the words I wanted to use, my memory would be a little foggy, and my judgment was rather dimmed, too. But I was deemed able to leave. I took a deep breath.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I replied with a nod of the head. Mitchell nodded, and took his hand off of my shoulder. He backed up a few steps, giving me some space, his face full of sympathy.

"I wish you the best of luck, Jay. I hope you find your fiancé. And the man who shot you." He winked. I grinned, and then threw my arms around him. He let out a little grunt in shock before awkwardly wrapping his arms around my back.

"Impulse control noted." He grumbled. I chuckled, and pulled away.

"Thank you, Mitchell. Thank you for everything." I said.

"No problem. Remember to thank that robot, too." He explained.

"The what?"

"Victor… the robot that dug you out of your grave?"

I blinked a few times, then finally remembered.

"Oh, right, that guy."

Mitchell chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

"It'll get easier, I promise. Just take it easy." He explained. I nodded my head, and put my hand on the door knob. I took a few seconds before twisting it, and then pulled it open. The sun blinded me for a few seconds, and it took a little while to adjust. The door closed behind me just as I focused on a crow that flew off from the white fence in front of me. Goodsprings. It didn't change one bit since the last time I had visited. I had been here recently to deliver a package to Trudy, who needed another bottle and wine opener. People here knew me, but I never spent more than an hour here. Now I had spent three unconscious weeks lying in Doc Mitchell's clinic.

_Brad_.

I stepped forward, careful to not fall over as I did, and pushed the white gate in front of me. If Brad had gone through here, he would have checked in with Judy, first. As I continued to walk, I caught eye of an old man sitting just in front of the Saloon. Easy Pete.

"Hey there, Jay. Looks like you're all better." He nearly hummed as I came towards him.

"Looks like it, don't it?" I asked, walking up the small step onto the deck of the Saloon.

"I'm glad yah did. Head on in, you could use a drink." He said. I nodded my head to him, and opened the door to the Saloon. Immediately I was alerted by the growling of a defensive dog, staring straight at me.

"Hey Cheyenne! Come here, sweetie." I said, crouching down, and letting my arms out towards Cheyenne. It took a few seconds for her to recognise me, but once she did she came bounding over like a puppy. I laughed as she licked my face happily, her tail wagging in delight.

"Seems like she remembers yah." A familiar voice said. I looked up to see the gentle face of Sunny Smiles.

"Looks like it, huh?" I asked, standing up. Sunny set a hand on her belt, shifting her weight to one leg.

"You look better. How's your head treatin' yah?" She asked. I chuckled, rubbing my forehead underneath my bandana.

"Better. Still kinda fuzzy. But I guess that's what I get for getting shot in the head." I said, making Sunny grin.

"Well, it's good to see yah. Come on, have a drink on me." She said, and lead me over to the bar. We both sat on the bar stool in unison just as Judy walked behind the counter.

"Well look who it is. The girl who rose again. How are you feelin'?" She asked, setting two hands on the counter.

"I'm better, thanks." I said.

Sunny ordered us drinks, and even bought one for Judy who leaned against the counter towards us.

"So do you remember what happened?" She asked. I nodded.

"Yeah. Some dude in a checkered suit shot me. For a uh…" I tapped my fingers against the counter a few times. "Oh, a lucky chip. Right." I took a swig from my whiskey.

"Oh? I think I remember seeing him 'round here. Some folks he was with called him Benny. I knew he was bad news the second I saw him." She explained.

Benny. Good, now I have a name.

"Do you know where he was headed?" I asked.

"Uh, yah, he said somethin' about Primm. I'd suggest you go there real quick. Talk to Deputy Beagle. He should know." She explained.

"If yah need some help, I'm always willin'." Sunny said, nudging my shoulder softly.

"Thanks, but I'm actually hoping to go with my fiancé… which, have you seen him?" I asked. Sunny and Judy shared a worried glance before looking at me again.

"No, he never came around here, sweetie. Sorry." Judy said. I sighed, setting my head in my hand, taking another swig of my whiskey. I felt Sunny's finger trace my neck, making me flinch. When I turned to see her, she smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, it's just this scar looks mighty strange. What happened?" She asked. My hand flew to my neck.

"Oh…" I grumbled, untying my bandana. "Oh shit."

"What is it?" Judy asked.

"It's the Latin symbol for 'Death'. Well, the beginning of it, at least." I said, tying my bandana over my neck now. "I was jumped a while back by some Legionaries. They left me off with a warning." I said.

"What in the sam-hell did yah do?" Judy asked again. I shrugged.

"Somethin' they didn't want me doin'." Like trying to save Carla. I sighed, looking into my amber coloured drink. Primm. Persistence flared in my mind like a wildfire. I needed to find that Benny guy, and dish out what he served me. No matter what.

( )

"You sure you want a full rifle?" Chet asked, worry straining his thick eyebrows.

"It'll give yah more caps, wouldn't it? Besides, I can keep it as a back-up." I explained. I was hoping to stay completely away from pistol's as much as possible. Ever since Benny I couldn't imagine myself with one. Chet shrugged his shoulders, reaching under the counter for a box of ammo.

"That would be forty caps." He said. I set the money on the counter, and swung the rifle over my shoulder. Before I left, he stopped me.

"Uh, word to the wise. Being bald is… hard, especially out in the desert. Might I suggest a hat?" Chet asked. I smirked at him, turning back to him, remembering that he, himself, was bald too.

"Fine. Watcha got?"

Chet grinned, and went in the back for two seconds, and came back with a standard black leather cowboy hat.

"Just for your trip back. It's not the best, but it'll do." He explained. I paid for the hat, thanked him, and left immediately. The map in my mind was muddy, but I was able to find my way back to the house with little to no problems. I swung the door open, letting the scent of the place hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Home, sweet home." I breathed. I set my hat on the coat rack, and propped up my rifle near the door. I went straight to the fridge, where I pulled out a nuka-cola. As I chugged it, I noticed that the living room was cleaned. Sighing, I walked inside the living room, immediately noticing the small drops of blood on the carpet in front of the TV. The small box was full once again with momentous. Then I remembered. Mama and Papa. How they lied to me. I pursed my lips together, crossing one arm over my chest. Where the hell was Brad? Then I noticed the small note placed neatly next to the box. I picked it up, my heart beginning to beat faster.

_Jay,_

_ I suppose you went out for a walk of some sort. I'm sorry I missed you, but I had a few things to take care off… I cleaned up a little, and put a few surprises in the fridge for you. I'll come 'round in the morning._

_ See you soon, babe,_

_ Brad._

I pressed the note to my chest, breathing in deep. He was here… the night I ran off, he was here.

"Brad…" I whispered. I didn't give myself anymore time to relax. I pulled the rifle over my shoulder, and ran out the door. I ran to his house, pushing my legs to move forward quickly and urgently. He didn't come to Goodsprings. It even looked like he hadn't returned since he left the note. Once I reached the house, I swung the door open loudly, stomping inside.

"Brad?" I asked, looking around in a daze. He never cleaned up. Empty bottles and dishes were scattered everywhere that a flat surface was. I stumbled into his room, noting the tossed sheets and general emptiness of the place. My eyebrows forwarded as I continued to search the empty house. No ammo. No guns. No armour. He normally kept all of that in his little shack. But they were now all gone. Food, water and alcohol were still in the fridge, so I knew it wasn't raided.

"Brad, where are you?" I asked, more to myself than to anyone else.

( )

Even though there was something off about Brad not being in his shack, I focused on getting ready for my attack on Benny. All I needed were all of my guns, ammo, food, water, anything. And that was all the thinking ahead I really did. I pulled on a clean red top, ripped cargo pants, some hunting gloves, boots, my regular cowboy hat, and swung a backpack over my shoulders. It was cooler now without my hair, but strange. I also decide to pack a ton of bandana's to cover my scar. Not a lot of Legionaires hung out around here, but where I was going (which was wherever Benny had gone) there would be. Before I left for Primm, I decided to write a little note to Brad, explaining what had happened, and where I was going. Just as I had finished, my eye's caught sight of the box I had opened before. Digging through it quickly, I pulled out the red leather bound journal, and tossed it into my back pack. Then I opened the door, locked it, and went off into the wastes.


	6. Chapter 5: But I didn't shoot the Deputy

**Wednesday upload! I really hope I can keep with this schedule. **

**So I checked to see just how much of the story I need to finish, and it's a lot less than I thought! I might upload twice a week, just to get this out of the way. **

**Anywho, enjoy!**

Chapter 5

But I Didn't Shoot The Deputy

It was a quick journey to Primm, considering it really wasn't that far away from Goodsprings. The road there was also pretty clear of any hostilities, making travel time go much faster. I hadn't been to Primm for a little while, and to be honest I didn't miss it. As I walked in I was surprised by just how empty it was. The only thing on the street was a dead body, propped up against a wall of a building. What a nice welcome. I made my way towards the body, and immediately recognised him as a fellow courier. His toke was still around his neck, but it had been emptied. Great. I sighed, and turned away from him. What in the hell happened out here? Just then I heard footsteps behind me, and I turned quickly to come face to face with a convict, eyes wide and fierce.

He swung a large machete at me ruthlessly. I ducked just in time, and jabbed my elbow into his spine. He went flying forwards, and I took that opportunity to shoot him in the back of the head. His lifeless body collapsed, revealing yet another convict, looking viciously towards me. I narrowed my eyebrows at him, debating what to do next. He growled loudly, and began charging towards me. He stopped when I sent a bullet through his skull. I stared at the two men in front of me, both bleeding out into the pavement, expecting guilt to set in. Or something. Anything. But I felt nothing as I continued to stare at the absence of life. After taking a deep breath, I stepped over them, and headed to the middle of the town. I looked around, half expecting more convict, but saw nothing.

Damn. I forgot which building to go in… I decided to go into the building to my left, which I soon found out was a mistake. Right ahead of me was a Powder Ganger with his back turned to me, walking the opposite direction. I ducked instinctively, forcing myself to be as quiet as I possibly could. Maybe it was just this one guy. I could take him. I took on two. Not at once, mind you, but I did it. I took a glance at my arm as I noticed the hairs on them began to stand. Then in that moment the Powder Ganger turned around, and caught sight of me. He made a sort of yelp before pulling his pistol at me. I shot him in the head before he could make another move. There was a few seconds of silence, and then a handful of Convict came running through the hall. My eyes widened, and I ducked behind a large desk.

"Get her!" I heard somebody yell. Something hit the wall next to me, and landed beside me. I looked down to see a lit stick of dynamite.

"Fuck!" I yelled. I moved away from it at first, then thought of a better idea. I picked it up quickly, and threw it towards the men in the hall. I heard yelling from them, a boom, and then silence for a another few seconds. Then I heard screaming. Blood curdling screaming. I straightened myself up to look over the desk, and what I saw made my stomach twist. A man sprinted towards the door, his arm completely blown off. What remained were a few pieces of dangling flesh, and a hell of a lot of blood. I stumbled backwards, hitting my head on the wall behind me. The world span around me as I watched the man panic, running into walls, turning this way and that violently. Then he collapsed on the ground, dead. I stayed like that for a few more seconds.

"Get up." I whispered to myself. I forced myself to my feet, running past the mans dead body, only to find three more equally as gory as his. Limbs had been blown off, blood splattered everywhere… the rustic smell hit me hard. I covered my nose tightly, and kept running down the hall. I didn't know where I was going. I didn't care. Anywhere away from the bloody scene. But I was soon disappointed as I entered a large room with what seemed like one hundred more convicts. They all noticed me right away, making me freeze. Then the shooting started. I ducked into a small room, cursing myself. I looked around drastically for anything, anything at all to fight back with. All I found were some empty soda bottles, some paper weights and a teddy bear. Before I could think of what to do, another stick of dynamite was thrown into the small room.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?!" I yelled, picking it up, and threw it back into the clearing. This explosion was larger than the last one, and I could hear bodies slamming onto the floor. More screaming followed. I took a deep breath, my rifle in hand, and ran into the large room. There were only four more convicts that I could see. I held my breath as I shot the first one, not giving myself anytime to watch him fall to the ground before I had shot the next one. Then the last two. There was another silence afterwards, making me breath out. Just as I was about to relax, the doors on the other side of the room swung open, revealing a man welding a large metal thing over his shoulder. In a instant it was confirmed that it was a flame thrower as flames came shooting towards me. I felt the heat of it lick my face, making me stumble backwards.

"You like that?!" Came a hoarse voice. Ugh. What an asshole. I aimed my rifle at him, immediately feeling foolish when he sent another wave of flames at me, making me duck out of the way. Fuck! What in the hell am I supposed to do? I looked around, and saw a dead Convicts body right next to me. As quickly as I could, I searched him, hoping for anything, anything at all. To my shame all I found were some bottle caps, and some ammo. I cursed loudly, sprinting over to another body, just barely dodging another wave of flames.

"Would you cut it the fuck out?!" I yelled, sliding across the floor towards the Convicts body. After some quick searching, I found a stick of dynamite. Ugh, these assholes and their explosives. Flames shot up my back, making me sprint again away. Wait a second… I looked down at the dynamite, an idea forming in my mind. As the man with the flame thrower came towards me, I turned to him, a wicked grin coming across my face. He looked tired, and impatient. Time to put him out of his misery. As he clicked on the machine again, I threw the dynamite in the flames, making it explode straight away. The impact of the explosion sent me flying backwards, and I slid a good ways against the floor. As for the man, there was almost nothing left of him.

Only bit's of limb scattered here and there. My breathing was fierce and shallow as I stared what was left of his body. My stomach twisted brutally. I set one hand beneath me, forcing myself to my feet. The second I did, bile rose into my throat, and I vomited to the side. I held my stomach, coughing, practically begging for tears to come. Still, my eyes were completely dry. I just killed… I didn't even want to count how many men. All I've ever killed were Gecko's, Big Horners and the occasional Brahmin. Never men. Right ahead of me was another room, and from the angle I was at I could see some fridge's. I could use a drink right about now. I stumbled towards it, when a voice made me nearly jump out of my pants.

"I don't suppose you came here to rescue me. I'd cross my fingers, but my hands are kinda numb." A man with leather armour, and pulled back white hair said. I clutched my rifle in my hands, keeping myself from aiming it at him. He was on his knees, his hands tied in front of him.

"Who the fuck are you?" I asked, my voice cold and stern. The man only seemed to pout.

"Huh. So you didn't. I'm Deputy Beagle. Listen, uh, I'm in a bit of a predicament here, I'd appreciate it if you help me out." He explained.

"Why can't you just stand?" I asked.

"Well, I couldn't, what with all of those convicts around…"

"I don't see any."

Beagle stared at me for a few seconds, then groggily got up to his feet.

"There we go… now, mind cutting these off?" He asked, pulling his hands towards me. I glared at him before pulling my skinning blade from my belt, flicking it open, and slashed the restraints in one easy gesture. The ropes fell to the floor as Beagle rubbed his wrists.

"Thank you… uh…"

"Jay. Call me Jay."

"Alright, Jay. Thanks for saving me."

I looked over the man quickly before remembering just who he was.

"Have you seen a man in a checkered suit come by here?" I asked.

"I have… er, mind if we discuss this outside? The air's a little tight here." He explained. I set my rifle on my back, walking right past Beagle and towards the coolers.

"What are yah doing?" He asked. I opened the fridge, scanning for the best drink. Whiskey sounded nice right now, but I felt like I needed something a little stronger. I pulled out a bottle of scotch, ripping off the lid, and taking one huge gulp from it. When I turned back to Beagle, he was just staring at him with his eyes wide. I held the bottle out to him.

"Want some?"

He shook his head, almost urgently, and motioned to the door. I lifted my head in acknowledgment, and headed towards the exit.

* * *

The outside air was nice after the whole fiasco inside. Once we were out, Beagle stretched his arms over his head, yawning loudly. I took another large gulp of my scotch, enjoying the warmth that spread down my throat. When I looked over at Beagle, he was staring at me again. He was looking at me as if I were crazy.

"What?" I asked.

"How in the hell are you doing that?" He asked in astonishment. I shrugged. I looked into the distance, seeing the building just in front of us.

"We should head in." I said. Beagle nodded his head. Just as I was about to step forward, he stopped me.

"Don't you want to know about your friend?" He asked. I turned to him. I had forgotten already.

"Right. So, where is he?" I asked.

"Um… well I was sku-… er, preforming recon, looking for any Convicts when some Great Kahns arrived with your friend in the suit. They were talking about some delivery they shot a courier in the head for. They said they'd be headed through Nipton and Novac to meet a contact there." He explained.

"Thanks, Deputy. That's where I'll be headed, then." I said simply. I turned to walk off, when Beagle stopped me again.

"Why don't yah stay? We've got more drinks in the Casino." He explained. I glanced at the doors to the Casino, weighing my options. I _could_ use more than just this one bottle. I shrugged again.

"Why the hell not?"

As we began walking towards the building, Beagle chimed up with another question.

"So who are you?" he asked.

"I'm the courier they shot in the head."

* * *

I'm not much of a drinker. I never really have been. After my first bottle of scotch, I was already piss drunk. My arm was loosely around Beagles shoulder as I watched a game of poker he was playing. It must've been a pretty boring game, since everybody didn't get excited about it. But _I_ thought it was the best thing ever.

"Don't you fold again, Beagle!" I yelled drunkly. "Be a _man_!"

Beagle didn't give in. He gently set his cards down, face down, and nodded his head. I sighed, over dramatically moving away from him now.

"Come on, you're no fun."

Luckily I wasn't the only one drunk. There was a group of people stumbling from the bar, and towards the poker tables. Some even tried to dance. Turns out Beagle was kidnapped by those convicts, just after they had killed the Sherif. The whole town was hiding in the casino in fear of the convicts, and now that they were all gone, it was time to party. And after all of what I went through… I was more then willing to drink my cares away. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a girl in a tight fitting dress walking down the steps and into the gathering of people. Her brown hair cascaded down her shoulders, her skin slightly paler than everyone else's. She looked beautiful. Within a second I ditched Beagle, and shot right towards the woman. Her eyes lit up as she saw me.

"Hello there, Jay." She hummed. Here eyes were bright green, shinning in the dim lights of the casino.

"Hey there, gorgeous." I slurred, moving towards her with my hips jolted forward. God I was an idiot when I was drunk. Be she didn't seem to mind. She giggled, placing the back of her hand towards her mouth. God she was cute. She moved closer to me, touching my shoulder playfully.

"Thank you for saving the town. You're quiet the hero." She sang. I smiled drunkly at her. What I didn't tell the people of Primm was how I actually threw up after killing all those men… and how they were the first people I've ever killed. Hence the reason I was completely hammered now. I waved my hand in the air dismissively.

"Oh, it was nothin' I couldn't handle. Just glad y'all can go outside now." I said. The girl smiled, showing just a little bit of her white teeth. How she got them that white was beyond me… Before I could say anything more, she grabbed my hand in hers, and led me to the door.

"Lets go see the stars, then." She said in admiration, and soon we were out the door, and into the coolness of the night. But she didn't want to see the stars. The second we were out of sight, her lips hit mine fiercely. I've never kissed a girl before… but this felt so damn right, I didn't refuse. Her hands hugged my back tightly, holding me tight to her. Her need for love and affection mirrored my own, and my hands reached up and gripped the back of her head, pulling her closer to me. She leaned against the wall, making me follow, our lips never parting. Her leg lifted up, hugging my waist as if to hold me in place. But the whole time I was kissing her, all I thought about was Brad, wondering where he was. I kissed her as if I were kissing him. Deep inside something twisted. And this something I soon figured out was guilt.

* * *

After the whole thing with kissing the girl (never even got to learn her name), I moved to the dance floor to show off my stellar moves. And by stellar moves, I mean making a complete ass of myself. Then, after eating almost all of the food that was readily available, I passed out in the back room. I woke up to Jonathon Mash hanging over me, a cigarette in his veiny hand.

"Look who's waking up." He said. I cringed at the light, and lifted myself up with just my elbow. That's when I noticed I was only in my tank top and underwear. "Looks like you had a good night." His eyebrows lifted as he took a puff. I blushed, quickly looking around for my pants. When I found them, I pulled them on in such a hurry I was almost afraid of breaking them.

"Jonathon, I'm so sorry…" I started, already scrounging for my things.

"It's no worry. I'd say you deserved it, after killing all those men."

This made me stop. I stared at him for a few seconds, unknowing of what to say. Jonathon's eyes fell, and he looked at me with a worried expression.

"You _have_ killed before, right?" He asked sternly. I looked down at my hands, twisting my thumbs nervously.

"No… that was a first." I said. I half expected a slap in the face. Maybe even a couple. One for drinking all the booze, two for making out with some random chick, three for eating all the food, four for making people witness my dance moves…. Maybe he should just give me a good beating. But instead all he did was take another drag from his cigarette, then placed a hand on my shoulder gently, and looked me straight in the eye.

"Then you damn right needed it."

* * *

I was about ready to leave when a girl approached me. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun, and all she wore was a loose fitting shirt, and some tight jeans.

"Hey, sweet cheeks. Where you headed?" She asked. Then I remembered her. Her green eyes. Her sweet voice. I didn't even know her name. I shuffled awkwardly, pulling at my straps around my shoulders.

"Um… out." I said. Her green eyes fell slightly. She shifted her weight to one leg.

"Out?" She seemed a little angry. "What do you mean 'out'?"

"Well… I'm not planning on staying." I said simply.

"Why not?"

"I… well I have a few things to settle. Outside of Primm." I tried to sound as soft as I could. But the urgency of the matter shone through, making tears appear in the girls eyes.

"Do you even remember our night?" She asked. I rubbed my neck awkwardly.

"I remember seeing the stars…"

"I mean _our_ night."

"Oh…" My hand fell limp to my side. "I'm sorry…"

"Rose. My name is Rose." She said softly. I nodded my head.

"Rose. I'm really sorry."

Rose sighed, looking at the ground sadly. I could tell she was about to cry. I placed a hand on her shoulder, moving her towards a small table. After a few seconds of sitting in silence, I had to speak.

"What happened?" I asked. Rose swallowed deeply, her hands balling into fists.

"A miracle happened." She explained.

"Are there not many lesbians in Primm?"

Rose shook her head.

"Rose… I'm not gay. I… I don't even know why I did it…"

"You called me Brad."

I stopped, staring at her for a little while.

"I assume he's your boyfriend?"

"We're suppose to be getting married."

"And you cheated on him."

I cringed.

"Don't… don't remind me."

There was a bit of a silence.

"Why did you do it? I mean, I get you weren't in control half of the time, but there must have been some conscious moments where you decided it would be a good idea."

My fingers tapped the table in thought.

"I guess it just felt natural. I saw a pretty lady, and just gravitated towards her." I explained. A soft smile flickered at Rose's lips. I placed a hand over her clenched fist gently. "Rose, I am so, so sorry. But I have to move on. I need to find the men who shot me."

Rose looked up at me, her wet eyes now creased with worry.

"You were shot?"

I nodded, lifting my hat and showing off my small scar. She looked at it deeply, her eyes shifting in realisation.

"I wondered what that was… when I asked you just said somebody threw a lucky gambling chip at you." She giggled.

"Well, they shot me for one. A really important one. And I intend on getting it back." I tapped my hand over hers. "I need to go, Rose."

Rose took a deep breath, almost as if she were steadying herself for a punch in the face. Then she nodded, quickly and compactly. I smiled encouragingly at her, and promised myself to never tell Brad.

* * *

The road to Nipton was uneventful. I almost wanted shoot into the distance for some action. The whole Rose thing was messing with my head, and I wondered what else I must've told her. Hopefully I didn't tell her anything that was locked away for Brad's ears only. Then again, I showed her a lot that was for Brad only. What in the hell was I even thinking? I wasn't. How could I do that to Brad, after he disappeared? How am I ever going to pay him back? I shook my head, not even wanting to think about how I'd feel when I see Brad again. Ahead of me were pillars of thick, black smoke, streaming from what I thought was Nipton. As I approached it, I soon realised that the only thing remaining of Nipton were those pillars of smoke, and burning buildings.

"What the shit…" I trailed off as I took in the town. I was in Nipton about a month ago… how could it have gone to hell so quickly? Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the town, and immediately regretted it as I heard a loud yelling. But it didn't sound like a yell of despair… it was… joy. Intense joy. From behind a building came a man wearing torn caravan clothes running full speed towards me. I froze, readying my hand for my rifle. But he stopped right in front of me, staring at me with his crazed features.

"Guess who won the fucking lottery!?" He howled. His eyes were wide and demented, making me feel a little unnerved.

"… You did?" I asked after a few seconds.

"That's right! I did!" He screamed. "Smell that air! Couldn't you just drink it like booze!" He grabbed me by the waist, pulling me in towards him as he slammed his lips to mine. I jolted backwards, punching him square in the face as hard I could.

"You fucker! What is wrong with you?!" I yelled back. The guy did nothing but laugh hysterically. "What lottery did you even win?"

"What lottery? WHAT LOTTERY! _THE_ LOTTERY, BABY!" He started to come at me again. I pulled my pistol from my belt, pointing it at his face. He only laughed again, but this time he ran right passed me, and away from me. I watched as the man ran away from me, his whole being reckless and terrified at the same time. What in the actual fuck? I turned slowly towards the town, suddenly not wanting to take another step inside. But something told me otherwise. I had to find out who did this. After taking just a few more steps inside, something silver on the ground caught my eye. I knelt down next to it, removing dirt and ash from the object, and soon recognised it as a flask. When I turned it around I noticed the name carved in the back of it.

_Bradley Cooper._

Brad… he was here. My heart leaped into my throat as I stared down at it… why would he leave his flask here? And more importantly, where the hell was he? I stuffed the flask into my pocket, suddenly feeling ten times more determined to find the culprits behind all of this. But when I turned the corner to the main building I regretted my abrupt decision. In front of me were rows and rows of crucifixes, fixed on either side of the road. Half dead bodies clung to life as they hung from the wooden crosses. The Legion. My eyes widened, and bile rose in my throat. Swallowing deeply, I trudged on. Because if there was any place Brad would be, it would be here. Trying to fight off the Legion from an unsuspecting town. As I kept walking, keeping an eye out for the people on the crosses, I suddenly heard growling. Dogs. Wild dogs. I kept moving, closer and closer towards the main building. Once I was a stones throw away, two dogs came running out. Before I could even think of shooting them, I was stunned by what followed. A line of Legion soldiers came pouring out, assembling in two neat rows on either side of me. I had never seen so many Legion soldiers in one place before. Each of them glared at me from behind their masks, goggles and bandanas. Burning tires surrounded us, filling the air with the sickening smell of burning rubber. Then, in the middle of the soldiers, came a man in a fox fur hat, walking straight towards me.

"Don't worry. I won't have you lashed to a cross like the rest of these degenerates. It's useful that you happened by." He explained.

"Is that so?" I asked, almost teasingly.

"I want you to witness the fate of Nipton, to memorise every detail. Then when you move on?" The man explained. "I want you to teach everyone you meet the lesson the Caesar's Legion taught here, especially any NCR soldiers you come across."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What lesson's did you teach?" I asked, an edge to my voice.

"Where to begin? That they are weak, and we are strong? This much is known already. But the depths of their moral sickness, their dissolution? Nipton serves as the perfect object lesson."

"Would you just tell me what exactly happened here?" I asked harshly. The man narrowed his eyes at me. "I mean… for a more detailed story."

"Well, first of all, you'll refer to me as Vulpes. Second of all, Nipton was a wicked place, debased and corrupt. It served all comers, so long as they paid. Profligate troops, powder gangers, men of the Legion such as myself, the people here didn't care. It was a town of whores. For pittance, the town agreed to lead those it had sheltered into a trap. Only when I sprang it did they realise they were caught inside it, too. I told them that when Legionaries are disloyal, some are punished, with the others made to watch. And I announced the lottery. Each clutched his ticket, hopping it would set him free. Each did nothing, even when 'loved ones' were dragged away to be killed." He explained.

"So, in short, you slaughtered a town of innocent people?"

"Innocent? Hardly. Cowardly, though. They outnumbered us, yet not once did they try to resist."

"How the hell could you…" I shook my head. "That's… that's…"

"Unforgivable?"

I looked up at him. He knew damn well what I was going to say… he must be well aware of how this people reacted to the Legions actions. I simply nodded my head.

"As are all crimes. If you feel strongly about it, attack us, and soon you won't feel a thing."

I stared at him as he lead his troops away until they were far off in the distance. How could they do this to the town, and just walk off? Then it dawned on me. Brad was here… did he get caught in the cross fire? Vulpes explained everyone as cowardly, which was the opposite of who Brad was. Still, I spent at least three hours searching each and every dead body I could find, none of which were Brad. I breathed a sigh of relief, and determined which direction to go next. North East to Novac.


	7. Chapter 6: Back to Novac

**Almost didn't get this up in time! It's literally almost midnight... sigh. But here it is! Chapter 6. Hope you enjoy (whoever you are who's reading this). **

**Chapter 6**

**Back to Novac**

I hadn't taken into account that I might not be ready for this until I was half-way to the town. Who knows… Maybe Boone will remember me, and maybe he'll try to kill me. I swallowed deep as I saw the eerie sight of the large dinosaur ahead. It was daytime, so Boone shouldn't be up there. Still, the sight of the place was unsettling for me. Hopefully I can just get in, and then get out. As I approached, I caught sight of a familiar looking robot. Once I got closer to it, it wheeled over to me, making me freeze.

"Well, howdy there!" It seemed to chime with a stereotypical voice of cowboy.

"Um… hi…." I stuttered, lifting my hat and wiping off sweat from my forehead.

"It seems we never properly met before. I'm Victor, from Goodsprings. And might I say you're looking fit as a fiddle?" He said, bobbing up and down. It was rather distracting. His screen showed a picture of an old cowboy, wearing a leather hat and a cigar hanging out of his grinning mouth. My eyebrows lifted as I remembered.

"Oh, right, Victor. Mitchell told me to find you before I left… guess I forgot." I explained, sounding as carefree as I could.

"I don't blame yah, getting shot in the head can throw you a little off balance. I'm sure you'll be fine in no time." He explained.

"Right… well, I'm looking for Benny. Have you seen him?"

"Fancy pants?"

"No, Benny."

"Not since that night. But he was with a load of Great Kahns, if that helps yah."

"It doesn't."

"Then I'm afraid I've got nothin' for you in the means of him. Sorry."

I was about to walk off when I remembered why he was here.

"Right, well, Victor, it's been nice and all, but I gotta go find Benny. Thank you for digging me outta my grave back there. Really appreciate it." I tried to sound sincere, but for some reason it came out a little more sarcastic than I was intending to be.

"It's really no problem at all. I'll see yah around." He did a sort of swooping motion, and then turned away, and wheeled off. I stared at him for a few seconds, then turned into the building where the front desk was. I opened the door slowly, and cautiously pocked my head in. Jeanie May sat at her counter, happily flipping through some pre-war magazine. Once she heard me, she looked up and smiled.

"Howdy, there. How can I help you?" She asked. She sounded more cheery than when I had met her two years ago. Overly cheery. It was kind of creeping me out.

"Um… I just have a few questions." I said, walking closer towards her. I silently hoped she didn't recognise me, but was soon let down as her small eyes widened.

"Oh, it's you! Ha, I hardly recognised yah with all that missing hair. How have you been?" She asked.

"Good… been better, but yah know." I explained.

"So many things have changed 'round here since you've left. For starters, we've got a bunch of souvenirs now." She pointed at a toy dino on her desk happily. "We've got them dinosaurs, and some rockets with real rocket fuel in 'em to give them that green glow." Her eyes lit up as she spoke. She must have really hated Carla. She looked as though she was going to go on about the 'new souvenirs', so I decided to change the subject.

"Hey, um, have you seen a guy in a checkered suit around here in the past three weeks?" I asked, leaning forward on the counter. Jeanie was silent for a moment, then forced a smile.

"Yup, sure was. He had his nose up in the clouds, and was treating our residents like dirt. So I asked him to leave." She explained.

"Do you know where he was headed?" I asked quickly.

"No too sure… I think Manny might know." She said. "You know, that man is such a breath of fresh air. He's such a good spotter, staying up in that dinosaur head all day. Hardly comes down for food or drink, no matter how much I…"

"Looks like I need to find him, then. I'll see yah later, Jeanie." I intruded, not wanting to hear more of from her.

"So soon? Why don't you stay for a while?" She asked, looking sincerely disappointed.

"Goodbye Jeanie." I said simply, and turned away from her.

"Stop by, soon!" She called back. I rolled my eyes. I liked her better when she was miserable.

As I walked out I caught sight of a darker skinned man, wearing the same beret Boone had on, walking over to the dinosaur. When he saw me, he nodded my way, smiling welcomingly.

"Hey, what's up?" He asked, walking towards me.

"Not much…" I set my hand on my hips. "By the way, have you seen a man with dark hair, tanned skin, and probably armed to the teeth?" I asked. Maybe this guys has seen Brad.

"Who?"

"Okay, so you haven't."

The man chuckled, and stuck his hand out to me.

"I'm Manny Vargas. I guard up in that Dinosaurs head in the day. Nice to meet you." He said. Manny…

"I'm Jay. Good to meet yah, too." I said, shaking his hand. "Have you seen a man in a checkered suit around here?" I asked.

"Yeah, I've seen him. What do you want with him?"

"I have a… bit of a score to settle with him."

"Doesn't surprise me. The man seemed like he'd do anything to get what he wanted. Probably makes a lot of enemies." Manny explained. I never actually thought about that… "Well, listen, I can definitely help you find him. But I've got problems of my own. Maybe we could do a trade off." Aw fuck. I am _not _down for whatever this ass wanted me to do.

"No offence, Manny, but I uh…" I stuttered. "Yah know, it seems to me that you have some needs that have been…" I held in a cough. "Rejected." I never tried to manipulate somebody before, and I doubted that this would work.

"I… well… Yeah. I mean, everyone depends on you. But they don't ask you how you feel, what you're worried about." He explained. Oh thank God.

"And what do you worry about?" I asked.

"Well… do you know Boone?" He asked. I frowned.

"Somewhat…"

"We were really good friends… before something happened."

"What happened?"

"His wife was taken by the Legion. He blamed all of us for it… it didn't help that Carla and I weren't really on the best of terms. Now… now he won't even look at me. It's as if he thinks I did it….He spends all of his time either locked away in his room, or up in the Dinosaur head at night."

I just stared at him for a few seconds, letting it all sink in. Boone… what the hell happened to him?

"He's miserable here, we can all see it. But he just won't leave. He won't move on." Manny looked at the ground sadly. "It's kinda hard to watch."

"How 'bout I _convince_ him to move on?" I asked. Manny looked up at me, hope in his eyes. Hope that I dreaded.

"Would you?"

Would I? Could I? Instead of voicing my concerns, I shrugged.

"Sure. Why not?"

Manny looked hesitantly at me, shifting his weight to one leg.

"Do you really want to meet him?"

"I do." I said sternly. "Yeah, I do." What I didn't tell him was that I felt responsible for the accident… I could've stopped it if I wasn't so… so stupid. I needed to tell him that I was sorry. I needed to tell him I tried. That must count for something, at least.

* * *

I fell asleep waiting for Boone. I sat near the dinosaur, my back up against it's tail, and before I knew it, it was night. I bolted upright once I woke up, cursing myself for letting my guard down. Brad's flask fell to the ground, spilling the vodka I poured in it.

"Shit…" I mumbled, picking it up quickly, and tightening the lid.

I opened the door to the inside of the dinosaur, trying my hardest to keep quiet. In front of me was a different kind of desk, but this time it was surrounded by those tiny dino souvenirs. Random supplies were scattered everywhere, and if I didn't know any better I would snatch a few of them up. Instead, I slowly made my way up the stairs, careful to not make a single noise. I was surprised the door to the dino head didn't creak as I opened it. And then there he was, looking exactly like he had when I first saw him two years ago. Boone. Did he even change his clothes? I closed the door behind me, trying to find the words to say. The sound of the door made Boone jump, and he turned towards me in a flash. He was wearing his aviators even at night…

"God-damnit… don't sneak up on me like that. What do you want?" He asked roughly.

"Expecting visitors?" I asked, raising one eyebrow at him.

"Yeah. I guess I am. But not like you." He stopped for a second before continuing. "Huh. Maybe it was you I was expecting all along."

My heart leapt into my throat. I tried to swallow it down again.

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you here?"

Answering a question with a question. Great.

"Well… um…" I rubbed my neck awkwardly. "I was talking to your friend…"

"I don't have friends here." He responded sharply.

"Well, _I'm_ not from here."

"No… no you're not, are you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I need someone I can trust. You're a stranger, that's a start."

"What do you need?"

"I want you to find something out for me. I'm not sure if there's anything to find, but I need someone to try. My wife was taken my Legion slavers one night while I was on watch. They knew when to come, and what route to take. And they only took Carla." He was trying to keep calm through it, but I could tell he was choking down his emotions. "Someone set it up. I don't know who."

"And… you want me to find your wife?"

"My wife is dead. I want the son-of-a-bitch who sold her."

That was a whole knew blow to me. I forced myself to stay on my two feet, but wavered slightly. I wanted to ask how he knew his wife was dead, but I didn't even know how to ask my next question without my voice wavering.

"What do I do when I find this person?"

"Bring him out to the front of the nest here while I'm on duty." His voice dipped an octave. "Then I'll take care of the rest. I need to do this myself."

There was something in his voice… something that shot warnings to me left right and centre. He had killed men before, and he was going to kill again. The guilt that hung on me from killing those Convicts at Primm was almost lifted, but now I'll be helping out with another death. I couldn't help but picture Manny, looking sadly at me, just wishing his friend to be better. Would revenge really help him? I didn't really see any other way out of this….

"I'll see what I can do." I said finally. Boone nodded.

"Good. I'll make it worth your while. And one more thing." He slipped his beret off, and handed it to me. "This will be our signal. You take the guy in front, and put this hat on. I'll know what to do." I took the beret in my sweaty hands, nodding my head towards him. "We shouldn't speak again, until this is all over."

"Okay… bye." I said awkwardly.

"Yeah." And with that, Boone turned away. I tripped down the last few stairs on my way down, slamming myself into the desk in front of me. Instead of getting up, I stayed down for a few seconds, willing tears to come. But they never did.

* * *

I knew who had sold his wife. It was clear to me now. But something about this guy told me I needed cold, hard proof. And I knew just where to find it. The lights to Jeanie May's office were still on when I walked out of the dinosaur. What in the hell was she even up to late at night? I waited for what seemed like forever until finally the lights switched off, and she waddled away and into the dark. Once she was completely gone, I opened the door as slowly as I could, pulling a flashlight from my belt. The office seemed one hundred times creepier with just the flashlight. I almost anticipated Silus jumping out from behind the counter and scream 'Boo!' at me. This sent me into a slight panic, but I was somehow push through.

Now, if I had proof of selling Boone's wife to the Legion, where would I put it? I opened the cash register half expecting nothing to be in there. And nothing was exactly what I got. Next to the cash register was a pile of pan-flips. I opened one up to find it to be a map of the Wasteland, a large picture if a dinosaur where Novac was. This could come in handy, even though it was cheesy at all hell. I stuffed it into my pocket as I moved behind the desk. Underneath a bunch of scattered papers was a safe. That's where it would be. I knelt down in front of it, debating how to get in. I had two maybe three bobby pins… and I didn't even need them anymore.

Brad had once told me that I could unlock a safe with a bobby pin and a screwdriver. After digging in my bag I was able to find one, and even my bobby pins. I set them both in the lock the way Brad told me, and took a deep breath. To my advantage, it unlocked right away. It took me a few seconds to register what had happened. Excitement rose in my like a flood. I took the bobby pin and screwdriver out slowly, as if the safe would re-lock itself if I went fast. Inside were a few bottle caps, some pre-war money, and an old looking piece of paper tucked away in the corner. That must be it… I plucked it out of the safe, and unfolded it.

_We, the representatives of the Consul Officiorum, have this day bargained and purchased from Jeanie May Crawford of the township of Novac the exclusive rights to ownership and sale of the slave Carla Boone for the sum of one thousand bottle caps, and those of her unborn child for the sum of five hundred bottle caps…._

I didn't need to keep reading. Or I didn't want to. It was bad enough I had the guilt of Carla being captured over my shoulders, now I had the guilt of his child. His unborn child. I stuffed the paper into my pocket, closing the safe lid shut. Now for the hard part…

* * *

Jeanie May was in the nicer part of town. Her house was near the main office, but yet it still felt like a trek to get there. How in the hell was I suppose to drag her out of bed, and bring her to the front of the Dinosaur? I shook my head, opening the door and stomping into the room.

"Jeanie!" I called, putting on my best panic façade. I found her curled up in her bed, slowly raising her tired head to me.

"What is it?" She asked, her words slurred.

"There's been an accident… at the dinosaur. Please, come help!" I cried. In an instant Jeanie was out the door running. It took me a little to catch up to her, and when I did I just kept running. This was the Jeanie that I liked. The Jeanie that would wake up in the middle of the night just to help a lone traveller. As we ran I couldn't help put feel even more guilt towards what would happen to her… I tried to remember what she had done to Carla and Boone. And their child. She sold his wife because she was… I didn't even _know_ what Carla was. I didn't even know if she deserved it. Once we reached the front of the dinosaur, Jeanie turned to me, breathless and worried.

"What… what is it?" She asked, her eyes wide from behind her glasses. I looked apologetically at her, pulling the beret from my belt.

"Jeanie… I'm so sorry." I said

"What do you mean?" She asked, suddenly worried. Before either of us to could say anything else, I slipped on the beret. Her eyes widened in recognition of it, and her mouth opened, as if to say something. But before she did her head blew clean off. Blood splattered across my face, making me flinch.

"Holy fucking shit!" I yelled, then clasped a hand over my mouth in anger to myself. I glanced up at the dinosaur, only to see Boone's stern expression looking down at me. There was some kind of look that he had… a look that I feared. It was the look of a killer.

* * *

"That's it then. How did you know?" Boone asked once I got up to him again.

"I found the bill of sale." I said, handing him his beret and taking the paper from my pocket. He took them, looking down at the paper in silent astonishment. After a while, he pipped up.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It'd be like them to keep the paperwork." He pulled a small sum of caps from his pocket. "There. This is all I can give you. I think our dealings are done here."

"What will you do now?" I asked after taking the caps. I was actually interested…

"I don't know. I won't be staying, I know that. Don't see much point in anything right now, except hunting Legionaries." He explained. "Maybe I'll wander. Like you."

I looked at Boone, and in that moment I knew what to do. There was no way I could pay back the debt of not helping his wife and kid, but maybe I could help him in a different way.

"You could come with me." I offered. Boone's eyebrows forwarded.

"You don't want to do that."

I shrugged.

"Why not? You hate the Legion, and I have a bit of a debt to pay with them. Plus, we'll kill more with the two of us."

Boone waited a little while to respond, and when he did he responded with a sigh.

"Yeah. That might be true. And that's reason enough for me to take you up on it… Fine. But this isn't gonna end well."

I hid a small grin, and tipped my head up in triumph.

"We leave in the morning. I'll be down at the entrance." I turned to walk away, when he stopped me.

"Wait." He grumbled. I turned back to him, and noticed he was handing me a small rusted key. "Stay in my room. It's number twenty 4, top row. You can't miss it."

* * *

The last thing I wanted to do was stay in Boone's room. But an actual bed was so inviting I bit down on my guilt, and walked in. It was just one door down from the room I stayed in two years ago… I could still hear Carla's shrill scream in the night. The room smelt awful. The bed wasn't made, and there was trash scattered everywhere. I dropped my bag on the bed, and walked into the bathroom. Immediately I noticed the mirror was shattered, and dried driblets of blood stained the sink and floor.

The amount of guilt I had chocked me from the inside out now… I tried to sleep, after tidying the bed a bit, but I couldn't shut off my brain. Finally I swung my legs over the bed, and decided to clean up. What was originally just picking up some things here and there turned into a full on sanitation of his room. Minus that bathroom. Once I was done, the sun was already starting to rise. There was no point in trying to sleep anymore. Instead I pulled the red-leather bounded journal from my bag, as well as Brad's flask, and began reading while occasionally taking a drink here and there. All I got from it was that Crystal was growing up in a Vault somewhere… she mentioned a guy named Amato a bunch, and a few about a guy named Butch. But before I could go on, the door opened, making me jump. Boone looked stunned at the room, his eyebrows raising up over his aviators.

"What did you do in here?" He asked, a bit of an edge to his voice.

"I cleaned up a bit. I… hope you don't mind." I said, stuffing the red-leather bound journal into my bag. He just stared at the room for a bit before responding with a simple nod.

"Where are we headed?" He asked.

"I gotta talk to Manny real quick. Then we'll head out. I'll explain to you on the way." I said. Boone nodded and turned to the door.

"Wait, you're not gonna bring anything with you?" I asked quickly. He shrugged, opening the door.

"There's nothing here for me anymore."


	8. Chapter 7: Dizzying

**I start going into different POV's in this chapter. It's a habit of mine that works out well in this story. **

**Chapter 7**

**Dizzying**

"You sure you wonna do this?" Manny asked. I glance at Boone, who was leaning against the sign that said 'Novac'. His arms were folded tightly over his chest, and he looked out into the distance grudgingly. I looked back at Manny, taking in his thankful features.

"I'm sure… it's kinda something I need to do."

Manny nodded.

"Your guy was headed to Boulder City. Something about some Great Kahns or something." He explained.

"Did you hear anything else?"

"No, just that. Sorry, man."

I nodded, and thanked him. Then Boone and I were off.

"So, Boulder City." I said finally. Boone nodded.

"Why are we headed there?" He asked.

"Well… long story short, I need to find a man named Benny. He kinda shot me in the head." I explained.

"What do you mean kinda?"

"He shot me in the fucking head. And I want to find him."

"What are you planning on doing to him when you do?"

I shrugged.

"Dunno. Haven't thought that far, yet."

There was a silence, and I felt obliged to fill it.

"Well, it all started when I was delivering a package… and I guess somebody slipped me a little something extra. It was a lucky chip. And, well, this guy Benny really wanted it. He found me, dragged me to Goodsprings, and shot me in the head."

Boone kept looking forward, his pace fast and strong. It was kind of like walking with Brad. But Boone was much more quiet, which made me more talkative than I'd ever been. Not sure if that was a brain damage thing, or maybe it was just how strange Boone was.

"Do you have a family?" He asked.

"Kinda. My foster parents passed away a couple months ago, and… I still haven't found my fiancé." I shook my head. "I think he went looking for me when I went missing."

"And you're just going to ignore him?"

"No, of course not. I just… I need to find Benny, first."

Boone nodded his head.

"Yeah."

More silence. Geez, this was uncomfortable…

"So, First Recon, huh?" I asked. Boone only nodded again. "What made you want to be in that field?"

"My father was one." Boone said.

Great story, please tell another.

"Where is your father?" I asked.

"He died."

"Doing what?"

"Fighting for the NCR."

"How brave of him."

"Yeah."

Geez, this guy just didn't want to talk, did he? I sighed, giving up on conversing. Just as I was getting used to the silence, Boone perked up.

"Why is this Benny guy so important to you?"

I guess he deserved to know. After-all, we are going to travel with each other now…

"Well… okay, here it goes… It was just a regular night when they found me. And, well, then I woke up in Goodsprings. Not the worst place to wake up in, but, you know…" I took a deep breath. "Anyway, then I went to Primm, and did some things, learned Benny was in Novac, came here, and Manny told me that he was headed to Boulder City… I'm thinking that maybe once I find him, things would go back to the way they were before." Why the fuck was I saying all of this? To a complete stranger, no less.

But Boone seemed to be listening, even though he was rather short on his response. Fine with me. As long as I had somebody here with me, I didn't fucking care if they talked or not. Plus, having a first recon guy with me wasn't all bad. He shot most of what we came across on the way to Boulder City, which saved me some ammo. And in the long run, caps. He was alright. Once we got to the entrance of Boulder City, we were both surprised to be approached by an NCR soldier.

"We've got a situation with some Great Kahns right now. The brass at McCarran has ordered me to lock down the ruins until it's been resolved." He explained.

"Out of my way, soldier. I need to get inside the town." I said simply, and walked towards the guard. I was planning on just walking passed him when he held out both hands, and stopped me right then and there by slamming them on my shoulders.

"I'm warning you, we will use force if we need to." He said, his voice getting lower.

"That's alright, don't bother." Boone said from behind me. The man in front of me widened his eyes at him.

"She with you?" He asked. Boone only nodded. The guy took his hands off of me, and I backed away from him.

"We need some of the Khans in that town. They stole something of hers." Boone explained.

"I'm sorry, soldier, but once the Great Khans have been killed or captured, you two are welcome to retrieve any property they've taken from you." He explained.

"It's kinda urgent, buddy. See, I have a bit of a problem with people telling me what to do, and…" I started, but Boone jumped in before I could say more.

"We're willing to make a deal with the Khans." He said.

"What?" I asked, looking up at him. Boone didn't look down at me, only straight ahead at the soldier in front of him.

"Well, I have no problem with _you_ going in there, but your friend here…"

"I'll make sure she's in check." Boone said sternly.

The soldier finally nodded, backing away to make room for us to get through.

"A few more things. The leaders name is Jessup. They have two of our soldiers hostage, so don't go trying to shoot them. However, if we hear gun shots, we'll be coming in, but it'll probably too late for you."

Boone shrugged.

"Whatever."

"You know, I could've handled that, right?" I asked Boone once we walked in.

"No, you could've have. And I'd appreciate it if you learn to hold your tongue when you need to." Boone explained sharply. I sighed in frustration, looking in front of us to see a hand full of Great Khans crowding around a building. They did nothing as we made our way inside. They didn't even look at us. When we got into the building, a familiar voice startled me.

"Who the fuck…. what the hell?" The Khan sporting an orange mohawk in front of me stopped for a second. "You're… the courier Benny wasted back in Goodpsrings. You're supposed to be dead!" He said in astonishment.

My eyes widened, and my jaw dropped to the floor. The sight of him brought back memories… painful ones. Ones I didn't want to remember. Just as the silence was about to become _too_ awkward, Boone jumped in for me. Again.

"We believe you have something of hers." He explained.

Before Jessup could respond, I lunged towards him, fists clenched. But I guess first recon's have lightening reflexes, as Boone grabbed me before I could get two feet towards Jessup.

"Where the fuck is Benny!? Where is he!?" I yelled loudly.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Benny stole it!" Jessup explained quickly, his eyes flashing.

"I don't believe you!" I yelled back.

"He's in the Tops Casino, I swear it! Here." Jessup grabbed something from his pocket, and handed forward. "It's his lighter. He left it here. Maybe you could stick it up his ass for me when you see him. He ended up stabbing us in the fucking back. He's probably back at the strip laughing at us." Before I could think of taking it, Boone snatched it up, and stuffed it in his pocket.

"We need both of you out of here." Jessup said quickly.

"Look, the way I see it is that both of you can kill each other within one word. But, if you go without a fight, then the NCR would be idiot's fight you back." Boone explained. I shrugged away from him, getting slightly annoyed at him. I was supposed to say something heroic…

"Well… I guess that couldn't hurt." Jessup said in deep thought. Then he nodded. "Fine, but promise me that they won't attack."

"I promise." Boone said, as if he had any clue.

* * *

We walked the Khans to the back of the city, and told them to run, making them promise that there would be no more troubles in Boulder City. After some convincing, the NCR soldier decided to let them go. Most of the convincing was on Boone's part. The soldier gave us one hundred caps to split between the two of us. Then Boone turned and walked away from me, towards a building in the distance.

"Where are you going?" I asked, following him closely. Once we were out of ear shot, he turned to me sharply.

"What the hell was that?" He asked.

"What… what do you mean?"

"You froze. What happened?"

"Well… he was scary."

"Oh come on…

"Fine! He… he was there that night, okay?" I said harshly.

"What night?"

"The night I was shot! He was there with Benny when it happened. It was just… I just wasn't expecting it."

"What _were_ you expecting?"

"I don't know! Okay?! I don't know!"

There was a tense silence as Boone just stared at me. Then he sighed, and looked out into the distance.

"Come on." He said, walking past me again.

"Where are you going now?" I asked.

"There's a bar up ahead. I think you could use a drink."

I couldn't argue with that logic.

* * *

I thought that maybe I could have my old drink of choice. Scotch. But the second I took a whiff of it, all I could see was Rose and her sad green eyes. Instead, I chose just a regular bottle of beer. To my surprise, Boone did the same. I also had Brad's flask filled with vodka once again. You could never go wrong with a little vodka on your belt. The bar tender, Ike, smiled from ear to ear at us.

"It's not everyday we get visitors here in Boulder City." He had explained. I suppose not… considering this place looked like a fucking ghost town. But I'm not judging. The beer was good, which was a bit of a surprise. I guess Ike took good care of his booze while he had nothing else to do. While Boone and I sat and drank, Ike talked our ears off. He mentioned his dream about going to New Vegas, to the Death Claws in the Quarry Junction. The whole time Boone and I were waiting for each other to say something. Finally, I realized it was up to me.

"Sorry Ike, but we gotta get going." I said. Ike looked kind of disappointed, but then shrugged.

"Alright. Come back soon, you hear!"

We began walking down the road, the sun still high in the sky. It was good, considering I was rather concerned about it getting dark while we were still travelling. Just as I was beginning to relax, Boone stopped in his tracks.

"What?" I asked, turning to him. He didn't respond, but continued to look out into the distance.  
"Kay, seriously Boone, what the…" Before I could continue he shushed me. I frowned, and tried to see what he was all worked up about. Then I saw small silhouettes of people walking in the distance. I squinted my eyes, not being able to make out what they looked like. Before I could, Boone turned around, and walked hastily away. I followed close behind him.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Legion soldiers. We need to go a different way. I can't have them see me." He grumbled.

"Boone…"

"If you don't like it, then you can leave. But I will not be anywhere near them…"

"Boone." I grabbed his shoulder, making him stop. He looked at me, his eyebrows forwarded in worry. "I can't have them see me, either." I said. I pulled down my bandana to show the scar on my neck. Boone stared at it for a few seconds. Then it hit him.

"They want to kill you."

"Yeah. If they see me again…" I motioned slitting my throat as I brought the bandana back up.

"Jay, if you want to go to New Vegas, that's the only way." He said. I shook my head.

"Not exactly." I brought out the map I got from Novac, unfolding it on the ground in front of Boone who crouched to see it better.

"We can make a bee line to here. Then we'll just head up the road, past the Quarry, and we're golden." I explained. Boone shrugged.

"Sounds fine to me. As long as we don't hit any Legionaries." He muttered. I had to agree. So that's what we did. For the most part it was uneventful, making me rather giddy. After a few swigs from Brad's flask, I started to hum the first tune that came to my head, keeping a careful watch to see how Boone was reacting. By the time I added in some lyrics, I didn't give two shits what he thought.

"She's telling me, we'll be wed. She's picked out a king sized bed. I couldn't beeeee, any better, or I'll be saaaiiiid…" I began sing quietly. Boone looked out in the distance, not seeming to care. So I continued.

"Tell me quick! Ain't that a kick! In the heeeaaadd!"

"Isn't that a little ironic?" Boone asked suddenly, not looking at me again. I stopped singing, and turned my gaze to him.

"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice slightly hoarse from singing/screaming.

"You were just shot in the head… a kick in the head… You were gonna get married before you were shot…" Boone tried to explain.

I looked at the ground in thought, then shook my head.

"Nope, don't get it."

All went well after that… until the sun started to go down.

"Shouldn't we camp somewhere?" I asked. Boone shook his head.

"There are some bunkers up ahead. We can stay there for the night."

"How far away?"

"An hours walk, maybe."

"An hours walk?! The suns going down!"

"Then we should walk faster."

I sighed dramatically, and rolled my eyes. This was ridiculous… and I had a feeling that Boone knew it. He just didn't do shit about it. Instead of complaining, I bit the bullet, and continued onward. The whole time reminding myself over and over again that I didn't have enough sleep, didn't have enough food, nor water. My legs were tired and achy, but I didn't want to complain anymore than I had. I got nothing from complaining. I guess a part of me wanted to stay awake as long as I could, considering I was out cold for three weeks straight. It didn't help that Doc Mitchell didn't explain anything that I might need to do in order to keep myself well. It was dark by the time we reached some rocks, and my feet were aching beyond belief. My breath hitched, one leg giving out, and I fell to one knee. Boone turned around instantly, coming towards me.

"You okay?" He asked. I could barely see him in the darkness… but he seemed to have no trouble seeing himself. Even with his fucking sunglasses.

"I'm good." I lied, trying my best to get up. Boone nodded, and once I was on my two feet again, turned back to the trail. My mind was wondering again when I heard a gun shot, snapping me out of my exhaustion. I strained my eyes to see Boone, back hunched as he shot at some figures in the distance. Before I could ask what the hell he was doing, the gunshots stopped, and he continued forward. After some more gun shots, we finally reached what I thought was a fence. As I came up closer to Boone, I realized I was right. But behind the fence was a large sand storm.

"I didn't think that through…" Boone muttered. I wavered in place, and tried my best to keep my eyes open. No matter what I did, they seemed to droop further and further. Boone took a deep breath, and walked through an opening in the fence.

"Do… do you know where you're going?" I asked, my voice slurred.

"Yes. Follow me." Boone said reassuringly. Or maybe that was just his NCR training. Masking the truth, making me think every things okay when really it's the furthest from it. Just after a few steps forward, the sand storm hit me. Hard. It seemed to get only into my eyes, despite my lazy attempts at covering them. Soon it was impossible to see, my eyes closing completely. And with that, my legs gave out, too, and I fell to both my knees. I forced myself to look up, only to see a small silhouette of Boone as he turned around to look at me. Then my whole body hit the ground hard, and darkness followed.

_Boone's POV:_

"Shit…" I cursed under my breath, rushing towards Jay. I lifted her up, noticing quickly that she was not going to wake up anytime soon. I was not good at first aid… I wasn't trained in that. I pulled Jay's limp body over my shoulder, trying my best to find a bunker. Damn, they were well hidden in the sand storm. I squinted my eyes, finding one in the distance. I forced my legs forwards, towards what I hoped was the shelter. Finally, once I got to it, I slammed my hand down on the button, opening the doors.

They closed as I walked in, shutting off the sand storm behind us. I was glad for the silence. I stumbled down the stairs, and was happy to find a bed roll nestled in the corner. I propped Jay on some boxes, and fetched the bedroll. I laid it on the ground, and placed Jay on it as softly as I could. Sand caked on her face, making me frown. I was just about to wipe it away when the doors in front of me opened up. I snapped my head up quickly to see two soldiers in power armour emerge, followed by one with no helmet.

"Listen very closely, and do as I say. Hand over all your weapons, ammo, armour, and clothes. I want you down to your underwear." The soldier with no helmet glanced at Jay. "Her, too."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked. In a second, all three of the soldiers pointed their energy weapons right at me. I frowned, and glanced down at Jay. I could see the scar on her head, reminding me what she needed to do. She needed to get to New Vegas… unscathed. If I refuse to cooperate with these guys, that wouldn't happen.

"Will you comply?" The soldier asked harshly.

"Fine. But don't hurt her." I said finally.

"You don't have to worry about that. Come with us."


	9. Chapter 8: Betrayal

**Whoa, what? A new post? Well, this story is very VERY close to being done, and I haven't posted even half of it. So here it is! Hopefully in this next chapter I can hook some people into wanting to know what happens next. ^_^**

_Jade's POV_

Once I came to, the first thing I noticed was the metal walls around me. I sat up quickly, feeling a sort of weight on my neck. I reached my hands up to feel a slave collar firmly clasped onto me. The third thing I noticed was that I was completely stripped of my clothes. All that remained was my raggedy looking underwear. Then I noticed Boone slouched in the corner, a slaver collar around his neck as well, wearing nothing but some boxers. Where the fuck were we?

"Boone?" I asked. When there was no reply, I asked a little louder. "Boone?"

"He went rogue after we put the collar on. He's now a little… comatose." A voice came from beside me. I swung around to see a man in power armour, minus a helmet. He was standing in a now open doorway.

"Who the fuck are you? And how did you find us?" I asked harshly.

"I was going to ask the same thing. After all, it was _you_ and your little friend here who stumbled upon us." The man explained.

"Why the hell would we want to find you assholes?" I spat.

"That's enough. If it was any other day, I would have shot you both on sight. But I'm under orders to bring you to the Elder. Will you come peacefully?" He asked. Oh… oh shit. I had heard very little of these guys… the rumours told that they were somewhere out in the wasteland, but nobody believed them.

I glanced at Boone quickly, then nodded my head at the soldier in front of me.

"Okay. I'll take you to him. Don't make any sudden moves. Or you'll be shot."

It was… awkward walking in a metal bunker with barely anything on. I guess that's what they had intended on doing… stripping me of my clothes and my confidence. We seemed to walk forever until finally we reached a large room, with a circle like desk in the middle. Sitting in the desk was an older looking man in some kind of blue robes. I've never really known much about the Brotherhood of Steel… didn't really have much need to.

"What's your name, and how did you find us? Oh, and do tell the truth." The Elder asked. He sounded more relaxed then everyone else was… considering I was in my fucking underwear with a god damn slave collar on my neck.

"I'm Jay. My friends name is Boone. We were just exploring."

"Who explores near a mountain of mutants and a pit of deathclaws?" The man asked. He had a point. I shrugged.

"I dunno. I guess we wanted some adventure." I said.

"Well, you certainly found it. By now I hope you've pieced together who we are." I nodded my head.

"And I hope you know you took an extreme risk by coming here. My policy towards trespassers has not been… lenient. The security of this bunker is my foremost concern, and I take pains to minimize our exposure topside. For this reason, I just might be interested in contracting with some outsiders to accomplish some tasks. Some basic, some a bit more… involved." The Elder explained.

"Kay, so what kind of tasks are we talking about here?"

"First is going to be the easier one. An NCR Ranger has begun to set up post in one of the other bunkers. I want him driven off. Understood?"

"What's in it for me? If you mind me asking…"

"You'll be one step closer to gaining our trust."

I nodded my head.

"Kay. Fine, I'll do it."

"Very well. I'll be interested to see how thoroughly and efficiently you carry out your mission. Paladin Ramos will escort you back to the bunkers entrance, and he'll set you loose. Notice that I said 'loose' not 'free. You are to carry out your mission, nothing more, nothing less. To be sure of this, you have been fitted with an explosive collar. Wander off to far, and it will detonate. Stick to the mission, and you'll be fine."

I gulped, now paranoid of any movement that might trigger the bomb around my fucking neck. Then a sudden thought came to me.

"Is my friends collar explosive, too?" I asked.

The Elder only nodded. Fuck.

* * *

I stood in the empty bunker, my previous clothing back on, a rifle strapped to my back, and a bomb around my neck. After a long swig from Brad's flask, I walked out and into the wasteland. Seeing the place without the sand storm gave me a different perspective on just where we were. I expected to at least see the lights of New Vegas by now, but everywhere I looked all I saw was mountain. That's not right. We should be closer… Then I thought of Boone, how he must be waking up by now. How confused he would be. How angry he'd be. That gave me enough motivation to at least try to find the NCR ranger. He was hiding in a not too far away bunker from the Brotherhood. It was a miracle that he didn't wander into the wrong bunker. No wonder the Elder was eager to get rid of him. Still, why couldn't he just send a soldier out, instead of me? Once I reached the bottom of the bunker I was greeted by a pistol being pointed at my head. My eyes widened as anger rushed through me like a flood. In an instant the pistol was smacked across the room, and my hand gripped the rangers neck tightly. His ranger hat fell to the floor as his own eyes widened in fear.

"Get… get off me, filthy powder ganger!" He struggled to speak.

"I am _NOT_ a powder ganger!" I yelled back, throwing him away from me. He stumbled backwards and began coughing. I rolled my eyes.

"Who… who are you, then?" He asked.

"I'm the girl who's kicking you out of this fucking dump. You have till sundown to leave." I explained harshly.

"Who the fuck are you to be telling me that?!" He asked, looking at me angrily now. I pulled my rifle from my back, pointing it at his face.

"I'm the one holding the gun. And I'd suggest you listen to me if… if you don't want to be hitting anymore dead ends."

The guy raised his eyebrow at me.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you see any fucking powder gangers 'round here? No. No you don't. Wonna know why? Cause they all fled to the south."

"And how do you know that?"

"Are you one to question me? Sundown. I want you out." I said. I glanced at his pistol, then grabbed it, and stuffed it in my belt. "You're not getting this back, by the way."

It didn't take long until the ranger left the bunker. I hid behind a sand pile, watching him as he left. Soon he was off in the distance. I nearly ran back to the bunker, more than eager to get this collar off of me. Once I did I was met with Paladin Ramos.

"Is your mission complete?" He asked. I nodded quickly, then pointed at my collar. Ramos lifted a key up, moving it towards the collar.

"No." I muttered, backing away. Ramos looked stunned for a second. "I want my friend's off, first."

Just before we entered a room that was tucked away in the corner, Ramos pulled me aside.

"Listen. I don't think your friend is mentally stable enough to be without the collar on, let alone being near Elder Mcnamara."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I don't think we should take the collar off just yet."

I only glared at Ramos, and shifted my weight to one knee.

"How about this, Paladin Ramos. I won't cooperate until _he_ gets his bomb unhooked from _his_ neck."

Ramos breathed heavily through his nose, looking impatiently at me.

"We can't let him go rogue like he had done before."

"He won't. Trust me."

* * *

"Are you okay?" I asked Boone. Once I got in the room I was shocked to see him still slouched in the corner, refusing to make eye contact. He didn't respond, only looked grudgingly at the ground in front of him. He didn't even flinch as Ramos took off his collar. I was still rubbing my neck from my own. I felt a million times lighter now.

"Look, it's okay if you're mad. I won't hold it against yah or anything like that." I explained. When he didn't respond, I shifted nervously in my seat.

"Well, I don't think the Brotherhood dealt with us as well as they should've. Just puttin' that out there."

"They had no right." Boone snapped. I turned my head to him, nodding in agreement.

"You're right. You're so right."

Boone took a deep breath through his nose.

"What did they make you do?" He asked.

I shrugged.

"Just something quick and stupid." I explained, then shook my head. "A waste of time, really."

"Can we go?" He asked quickly. I shrugged.

"Depends on if these fuckers will let us."

Boone nodded. "What did they say?"

"They said we need to talk to the Elder. Together."

"Did it sound like they wanted something else?"

"Dunno. But, we don't have our collars anymore, so that's a plus."

I knew Boone couldn't help but agree. I pulled Brad's flask from my pocket, and handed it to him.

"Here." I offered. Boone only looked at it, then looked away. "Come on, you know you need it." I added. With that he grabbed it, and took a short drink. He screwed up his face as he handed the flask back to me, making me laugh.

"Too strong?" I asked.

"Little bit…" He coughed.

After Boone put his clothes back on, I guided him out of the confinement of the small room, and out into the bunker. Paladin Ramos was waiting for us patiently outside. His eyes lit up as he caught sight of us.

"Are you two ready?" He asked. He was eyeing Boone. With a glare I nodded, and Ramos lead the way with no hesitation. When we reached the Elder, he looked up at us with cautious, yet welcoming eyes.

"When you two showed up at our doorstep, I'll admit I wasn't sure what to think. But, after some thinking on the subject, I decided an outsider could be a good use to me right now. You may refuse this next mission, and you will be released into the outside world once again. But, know we will be keeping an eye on you. What do you say?" Elder McNamara asked. I glanced at Boone, who seemed to be using all of his energy to keep calm under the watchful eye of the Brotherhood.

"What's the new task?"

"There's a radio station on the top of Black Mountain that specializes in broadcasting unique information to mutants. They're technology is incredibly advanced. We'd like to track just how the technology works by installing a remote signal transmitter."

I shrugged.

"Sounds simple enough to me."

"It's not. As you may know, the whole mountain is crawling with super mutants and nightkin. Not to mention those centaurs that follow them. Climbing the mountain will be difficult, but in return we can offer you a great many of things." Elder McNamara explained.

"What kind of things?" I asked cautiously.

"Stimpacks, Med-X, Rad-away, any medical supplies you need. We have more than enough for you."

Damn. That is a good deal. I looked over at Boone again, only to see him exactly the same as before. Staring blank faced straight ahead. He wasn't helping me at all.

"If you two need to discuss this, go ahead."

I looked behind us to see a large illuminated map, a magnifying sort of glass moving back and forth on it.

"C-can we look at that?" I asked.

"Of course."

"We'll be back with our decision." I said, and motioned Boone to come with me. We stood in front of the map for a few seconds, trying to find out where we are.

"Here." I pointed, making the magnifying glass come towards my finger. "This is where we are."

Boone rubbed the back of his neck.

"We're pretty of track, huh?" He said.

"No shit."

I pointed again at the map.

"Kay, so this is Black Mountain… aaaand, this is the Quarry Junction."

"The place with all the Death Claws?"

"Yup."

"Well shit…"

I stepped back, crossing my arms over my chest. Boone stared at me for a few seconds.

"No." He said finally.

"Why not?"

"Do you want to get to New Vegas alive?" He asked.

"Well, look at it this way. We'll get some sweet ass supplies, plus whatever else is up that damn mountain. We can take some stupid mutants" I explained.

Boone shook his head. And then sighed.

"Kay, fine. But if anything goes wrong, we're running. I want to kill Legionnaires, not mutants."

I nodded.

"Alright."

* * *

Boone wasn't very keen on the idea of Black Mountain in the first place. But when a super mutant came bounding towards us from behind the corner, it set him off edge. Within a second he had his gun out and aimed straight at the green monster. We were both shocked when it put it's hands in the air.

"Don't shoot. This is a dangerous place for humans to be." He said, his voice slow and deep.

"What. The. Actual. Fuck." I stuttered. I had never seen a super mutant talk properly before… let alone warn us about incoming danger.

"I suggest you two turn back the way you came. There is nothing good waiting for you here." He explained further.

Boone and I only stared at him for a few seconds. The super mutant looked at us in concern.

"Are you two alright?" He asked.

I coughed, forcing words to come out of my mouth.

"Yeah… um… well, what do you mean by 'danger?"

"There's nothing but super mutants and nightkin up there, ready to kill you on sight. You're lucky I was the first to find you."

"We heard your radio broadcast. We were interested in the sort of 'help' you needed." Boone explained. I looked at him quickly. How the hell did he know that?

"It's beyond me why a human wants to help us, but never the less. We have a bit of a problem. The voice you heard is that of Tabitha. She's run this mountain for two years, or what she calls it, Utobitha. Super mutants here do whatever she says… and she says kill any human on sight." The super mutant explained.

"So what's the problem?" Boone asked.

"For years this place was a peaceful community. It's leader, Marcus, set out broadcasts to invite other mutants throughout the wasteland for a safe place to be. That's how I found this place. So did the others. Everything was fine… until the nightkin came along, lead by Tabitha. Within a few days she had everyone convinced that she was a 'prophet'. Marcus knew what was coming. He broke the radio, then left to Jacobstown before anything escalated. Things are… bad up here." He said.

"What should we expect if we head up?"

"A challenge. Series of tight switchbacks up to the peak. There are three blockades, plus patrols. Sneaking past them would be… difficult. But not impossible."

"Sounds like you've had enough of this Tabitha. What if you had some help to take her down?" I asked.

"Help might improve the odds. Help just might make a difference…" The super mutant thought for a second. "Alright, if you two are good enough at what you do, I'll meet you on the peak. We can talk further. I'll have a plan by the time I see you - if I see you. Good luck. It's going to be a lot harder for you to get up there than it will be for me." He explained, then sprinted up the hill. I took a deep breath as we watched him leave.

"Great."

"Lets get going, then."

I should've known that sneaking past the mutants would work. I kept forgetting that Boone was a sniper, and specialised in not being seen. Just as I thought we had made it past quietly, Boone stopped and looked back at the patrol behind us.

"What is it?" I whispered.

"Hold on." He said, looking down his scope. He shot towards the patrol, and just before I could say anything the small bunker blew up.

"The hell?"

"Frag grenades." He said simply, and continued up the hill. One would think that maybe somebody would notice the explosion, but as we continued in the shadows we remained unseen. The bunker ahead of us was a little bigger than all the others. Boone stopped to take a better look through his scope. I waited for another explosion, but was let down as he pulled away from his rifle.

"What is it?"

"There's a lot of supplies in there. Good supplies." He explained.

"Define 'good' for me."

"Medical supplies, crates of weapons, food, chems, I wouldn't doubt there would be caps in there."

"So… we could basically just raid this, finish this stupid mission, and not ever go back to the Brotherhood?"

"That's what I was thinking."

I took a deep breath before replying.

"Where would we start?"

"Let's start with a distraction." He explained.

"Kay, with what?"

"With you."

"_What?_"

"Shh. There's only three mutants in there, I can get them all in just a few seconds. I just need them out in the open."

"So, what exactly do you want me to do?"

"Run out there and get their attention."

"How?"

"I don't care, just get them into the open."

I stood there, staring at the patrol, my heart racing in my chest.

"… Are you going to go?" Boone asked.

"Just give me a sec." I snapped.

I took a deep swig from Brads flask, feeling the warmth of the vodka comfort me. Then I ran for the bunker, waving my arms up and down.

"Hey! Hey assholes!" I yelled.

The mutants looked up at me, anger flaring in them straight away.

"Come get me, yah green little shits!"

Then four mutants came charging at me all at once. I gulped, pulling my rifle from my back. One had a sledge hammer, the other had a combat shotgun, the other had a hunting rifle (like mine, but not nearly as powerful…) and then finally the one in the back had a large machine gun. I shot the one with the sledge hammer immediately, making it stumble backwards.

"Boone!?" I called for his back up, and the one with the machine gun fell to the ground. Then the one with the combat shotgun, and finally the one with the hunting rifle. I stood there for a few seconds, breathing heavy as I stared at the large, deceased bodies. Boone jumped from his spot, and ran towards me.

"You miss counted." I hissed.

"We dealt with it, didn't we?" He stated, walking towards the bunker. I rolled my eyes, and followed after him. He was right about the loot. I stood in the entrance of the building, my eyes wide in shock. Piles and piles of ammo filled a whole bookshelf, gun mods and magazines scattered around it. Med kits were stacked on a table, as well as some blue trunks. Boone hit one with the end of his rifle, and it popped open. Inside was bags of caps.

"Holy shit…" I said. Boone snatched one, and threw it at me. The bag bounced a few times between my fingers before I finally got a good grip on it, making Boone chuckle.

"Fuck this mission." He said, stuffing a bag into his cargo pants. "We've got enough loot here a to ditch and they'll never even know."

I crossed my arms tightly across my chest, looking around at the place. It was true there was a lot of good supplies in here… things that outweigh the Brotherhoods Offer by a ton. But as I continue to think of leaving the mission without even trying to complete their task sent another wave of guilt through me. And I just couldn't have that.

"I don't know, Boone. I think we should just bight the bullet and do what they want us to do." I explained.

"Are you kidding me? The people that stripped us down when we were in need, strapped bombs to our necks and forced us up a hill full of mutants?" Boone asked harshly. I shrugged.

"I just don't think we should ditch, is all." I said. "You heard what that mutant said. Things are bad up there… and we have a chance to change it. I just want to do the right thing here."

Boone looked at the supplies for a long time, before turning back to me.

"Fine." He said. I chuckled.

"Doesn't mean we should just leave all of this behind. Come on. Grab what you can."

Part of me wanted to find an Anti-Material rifle for Boone, but even though there were piles of guns, there wasn't one there for him. Instead we filled our ammo up, grabbed the medical supplies, the water, the food, explosives… as much as we could carry. Just before we were about to leave, Boone tossed something at me. Didn't he learn? The object bounced off my fingers, and I lunged forward to catch it. He chuckled again.

"Here. It might help up there." He said. I looked down at the object, and realised it was a scope. I pulled my rifle from my back, setting it on the table in front of me.

"Thanks." I said as I began to mount it on the top of my rifle.

"Yeah."

I wasn't all that experience with a scope, but Boone assured me it was a decent one. After a little while of getting used to it, we moved forward again. It wasn't that long until we saw buildings next to a radio tower. Finally. If it was up to me, I would've kamikaze'd up the hill, but Boone pulled me back.

"Just wait." He whispered, looking down his scope again. His eyebrows narrowed from behind his aviators as he pulled away from it. "There's a night kin with a rocket launcher on the top of the tower. Below him are a lot of mutants, both nightkin and super mutant." He said simply.

I looked through my scope, trying to find them myself.

"Any ideas?" Boone asked. I nodded my head.

"Yeah. Hold on." I said. I pulled the frag mines we got from the shelter, and began down the hill.

"Where are you going?" Boone hissed.

"Trust me." I whispered back. I placed four frag mines along the path, and shuffled back up. Then I pulled out a frag grenade, and turned back to Boone.

"Can you get the rocket launcher guy?" I asked. Boone nodded, and looked down his scope again. He took a deep breath, then pulled the trigger.

"Got him." He said.

"Good." I said, pulling the pin from the frag grenade, and threw it as far as I could, past the mines and down the hill. The explosion went off, echoing in the distance. There was a few seconds of silence, then large footsteps came rushing down the hill. I blinked a few times, not knowing where they were coming from. Then the mines went off, and suddenly three large blue bodies appeared from what seemed thin air, and fell to the ground motionless.

"What the hell?" I snapped.

"Stealth boys." Boone said simply.

"Stealth boys?"

"… it makes you invisible."

I stared at Boone for a few seconds.

"No way."

"Yes way."

Boone and I cautiously continued up the hill, keeping a close eye out for anymore mutants.

"I think they're gone." I said. Boone nodded, and stood up straight. We walked into the building next to the radio tower, and immediately went up the stairs. It was musky and dark, and was only lit up by the red lights of a radio system.

"Where is it?" Boone asked, obviously as confused as I was. I pointed to a microphone placed in front of a bunch of controls.

"There." I stared at the mess of controls, not knowing where to start. "If I were a radio transmitter, where would I go?"

Boone pulled the transmitter from his pocket, and held it on front of the controls.

"Uh… there?" He asked, pointing at a small hole near one of the nobs. I shrugged.

"Try it."

Luckily, the transmitter fit perfectly, and even lit up as it was clicked into place. I breathed out happily.

"Good. Glad that's over with." I said. Boone nodded in agreement. I was looking forward to a walk down the mountain. With all the supplies we had, we could even stop for some lunch. But the second we opened the door we came face to face with a large nightkin.

"What the flying fuck?!" I yelled, jumping back. The night kin was wearing a short blonde wig, rose coloured glasses and a sort of summer dress…

"You're the dumb dumbs who did this!" Her voice was grotesque, and the furthest thing from 'ladylike'.

Before we could get a word in, the mutant from the bottom of the hill came from behind the corner, aiming a rifle at Tabitha.

"Duck!" He screeched in a low, terrifying voice. Boone and I jumped to the side just as the bullet went through Tabitha's head, splattering blood everywhere. The rest of Tabitha's nightkins went rogue, coming at us with whatever they had.

"Don't let them get to the Quarry!" I shouted as I sent a mutant flying to the ground.

"Then go after him!" I heard Boone yell. I turned to where he was looking, and saw a nightkin running down the hill frantically.

"Shit…" I breathed, running after him. He was fast, for a mutant. "Slow the fuck down!" I yelled. Finally, after what seemed like hours of running I stopped, and aimed my gun at the Nightkin. But before I could shoot, he fell down, dead. Just in front of his body was a Legionnaire, accompanied by four other's. The head Legionnaire looked at me for a few seconds, a bandana covering his mouth, thick goggles covering his eyes. I turned around quickly, running up the hill as fast as I could.

"Boone!" I yelled. But it was too late. One of the soldiers caught me from behind, slamming his hand around my mouth, and grabbing me tightly. I struggled hard, kicking my leg up backwards and hit the soldier right in between the legs. He stumbled backwards, and I took the opportunity to try and sprint away from rest of them. Soon I was tackled to the ground by yet another soldier, making me cry out in pain as my cheek hit the pavement. We struggled like this for a few seconds, until I was kicked brutally in the side. Within a second it was almost impossible for me to breathe, making me almost paralysed. The soldiers took that time to lift me off the ground from my neck. I cried out in pain again, my hands flying up, but were soon restrained by the soldier behind me.

"Enough." I heard a deep voice speak. The soldiers stepped away from me as the Legionnaire in the bandana and goggles came towards me. He pulled down the bandana from his mouth, then lifted his goggles off of his face. What I saw nearly made my knees buckle. It was Brad.

"Fancy meeting yah here." He said, a condescending tone to his voice. My mouth dropped, my eyes widening in shock. No words came to me. Nothing at all. All I could manage was stare at him. His eyebrow raised.

"Bit of a shock?" He asked.

I was expecting him to shoot the other soldiers, and take off his façade. Or smile and say it was a joke. That he had finally found me, and how happy he was to see me. But he just stared at me, completely still.

"What have yah been up to, babe?" He asked. He tilted his head at me. "You cut your hair." He stroked the side of my head softly, then frowned. "Hmm. Where did that scar come from?"

"Is… is that you?" I forced the words to come out. Brad took a deep breath.

"Of course." He flung his arms on either side of him. "Who did you expect? Think yah could run away from me forever?" He asked harshly.

"What?"

"Oh, come _on, _Jay. Really? There's no use in acting dumb around me. I know you better then that."

"What the fuck are you talking about, Brad?"

Brad frowned at me.

"Fine then." He looked at the other soldiers. "Restrain her."

Soon what felt like a thousand hands grabbed me from all direction, a hand clasping over my mouth yet again. I felt some sort of strong tape being tied around my wrists tightly, and began to be dragged away from the road. I struggled forcefully, but no matter what I did the Legion was still stronger than me. I looked up at Brad, who was looking up the mountain in concern. He then spouted some sharp words in Latin as he came towards us. The soldiers threw me against the rock wall, and seemed to cover me. Everyone ducked, and stayed completely still. I heard the click of machine, and the soldiers around me disappeared. But I could still feel their grasps… I looked down at my feet, and saw that they had disappeared as well. Stealth boy. Of course. Then we heard heavy, fast footsteps. I forced my head to look, seeing Boone running down the hill as fast as he could. His gaze was set on one place. The Quarry Junction.

"Jay!" He called. I jerked under the grasp of the Legion hands on me, but it did no good. I could feel Brad's burning gaze on me. Once Boone was gone, he grabbed me by the collar, and yanked me away from the other soldiers. I lost my footing and fell flat on the ground.

"Gotten over me already, have yah?" He asked, an edge to his voice now. His figure faded in and out as the stealth boy malfunctioned.

"He's just a huntin' partner." I explained quickly, my voice quivering.

"Sure. I'd like to believe that, Jay."

One of the soldiers from behind Brad came towards him, saying something in Latin. Fucking hell, I really need to learn that language.

"Oh, I'm well aware of that." Brad almost growled. He stomped towards me, ripping off my bandana that was loosely tied around my neck. He pulled me to my knees, then snapped my head to the side to show the other soldiers what I've been trying to keep secret for years.

"See that? The mark of _mortem_." He snarled. I thought the soldiers had looked at me like a piece of meat before, but now it was worse than ever. Brad stood up. "We have a choice."

"Oh, look at you. Being such a man." I spat. Brad turned to me slowly, looking furious. I gulped.

"What did yah just say to me, _lupa?" _

_Understand, Lupa?_

"You… you fucking asshole." My voice quivered as I said this.

"Oh, _I'm_ the asshole?" Brad asked harshly. I just stared at him, completely blank faced. He breathed deeply through his nose, turning back to his soldiers.

"We have a choice. Complete the mark, or end her."

I gasped, my breath becoming short and quick.

"End it and be done with it." One of the soldiers spat. The rest of them all said the same word in Latin. When Brad turned back to me I could hardly recognise him.

"Any last words, babe?" He asked.

"Fuck you." I spat. Before I could fully register how I had managed to say this, Brad's lips twisted into a dark grin.

"Yah already did."

The tape around my wrists snapped as I twisted them with rage. Once I was freed I lunged myself at him, tackling him to the ground. I pulled my knife from my belt, holding it sideways and swung at him. The blade slashed the side of his face. Blood began to ooze from his cut, and he groaned sharply in pain. I grinned darkly at him, twisting my knife in my hand, and held it above him. Survival. That's all my mind was on. In front of me was a threat to my life, and I must live. Then suddenly I received a kick in the face, sending shock waves of brutal pain through me. My knife flew from my hand as I fell backwards onto the ground again. The wold began to spin around me. Then I felt the kicking. Kicking from each of the soldiers as they spat what I guess Latin curses at me. Each kick sent a pain that took my breath away. I tried to cover my head, squeezing my eyes shut as if to shut off all my senses.

"Stop!"

All the soldiers moved away from me, reluctantly so, and Brad came towards me. I forced my eye's open to look at him as he picked up my knife from the ground. He crouched down in front of me, something shinning in his dark eyes. He pressed the knife against my cheek, piercing the skin oh so slightly. He moved the knife down to my neck. My hand flew to his, and I looked at him straight in the eyes.

"Please…" I begged.

Then I felt the sharpness of the blade puncture through my skin, razor sharp pain throbbing through me. My eyes squeezed shut as the pain nearly engulfed me. Then it stopped, and I looked up to see Brad standing over me, wiping my blood off of the knife.

"Finish her." He commanded.

Then the beating started up again. Incredible pain from every side overwhelmed me. There was no time to even breathe. But the most was the pain of betrayal. I felt myself floating away, watching from a distance as the Legion beat the life out of me. Brad just stood and watched.

The one person I had left in my life just watching as I was beaten to death. By his command. In that one fleeting moment, just as I was losing myself, I felt peace. For the very first time.

_Boone's POV_

I looked around frantically in the Quarry, careful to not get too close. But it didn't take long to figure out Jay wasn't here… where the hell is she? I turned around, straining my eyes to see if I could find something. Then I saw six Legion soldiers running down from the hill, and making a quick turn down the road. I crouched low, pulling my rifle from my back, and watched them through my scope. They were moving fast, and more importantly Jay wasn't with them. That must mean she was still up the mountain… I wanted to take the shot. Every inch of me was desperate for the small action of pulling the trigger. I could take out at least one Legionnaire while they were still in my sights. But something stopped me. Jay was still up the mountain. If they saw the mark she carried… I didn't wait for them to disappear into the distance. I sprinted as fast as I could towards the mountain, not stopping for a breather as I continued up the hill.

It was only once I found Jay that I stopped in my tracks. She was curled on the ground, blood pooling around her body. Around her, scratched into the dirt, laid a message. 'Hail Caesar'.

I rushed to her side, placing my ear just above her mouth. After a few pain staking moments I heard a faint breathing. I pulled back quickly, unknowing of what to do. Her neck was drenched with blood, giant bruises covered her arms and legs, and her eyes where swollen shut.

She looked like hell. Awkwardly, I placed my hand underneath her nearly bald head, lifting it softly. She almost looked like a child sleeping the way she was. With a deep breath, I slid my arms under her, and lifted her up. I didn't know what the hell to do… and I did _not_ want to go back to that damned Brotherhood Bunker. But if I wanted Jay to survive, I had no choice.


	10. Chapter 9: Missed Opportunities

**Holy shit, this is a long chapter. A lot does happen, soooo... (Poor poor Dougie) **

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 9

Missed Opportunities

_Jade's POV_

My eyes slid open. Almost immediately pain demanded my attention. As I tried to open my eyes more, I soon realised that they rather difficult to open. A hand was placed on my arm, making me turn to see who it was. I was surprised just how slow I was moving…

"You're awake." The voice said. It was Boone. He had actually taken off his aviators, and was looking down at me, worry thick in his grey eyes.

"Seems like it, huh?" I asked cynically. I closed my eyes again. It hurt to breathe.

"What happened to you?" He asked.

I took a deep breath, remembering Brad's bloodthirsty face as he carved my demise into my neck.

"The Legion happened." I swallowed deeply. "Brad was there."

"Who's Brad?"

"My fiancé. He found me." I forced down my tears bitterly.

"And he… did this to you?" Boone asked carefully. I only nodded my head. An overwhelming lump in my throat developed, and I shut my eyes tightly. I tried to bring my hands my hand up to my face, but one didn't even respond. It simply laid limp to my side. Instead, I only covered my eyes with the one hand. Tears escaped my eyes then, and I felt them roll down towards my ears. Boone placed his hand on my shoulder as sobs broke out. If I wasn't so beat up I might have felt embarrassed. Instead, all I felt was the physical pain rush through me, as well as another pain.

An invisible pain. Brad was gone. The one man I would ever fall in love with was gone. Replaced with the sharp stinging of the deep cut in my neck. Every injury paled in comparison to the 'mark'. It was not only a sign of me being truly and well fucked by the Legion, but also being a memory of when everyone I ever loved was gone.

"I'm sorry." Boone said awkwardly.

"How…. how long have you been here?" I asked, trying to catch my breath, still unable to show my face.

"As long as you've been. I brought you in a few days ago." Boone explained.

"And…" I brought my hand down from my face to look at him. "You've been here that whole time?"

Boone looked confused.

"Where else would I go?"

"I dunno, move on or something?"

"You needed help. So I helped you. It's what partners do."

* * *

The doctor that was stationed with the Brotherhood tapped her foot loudly against the metal floor. Her back was turned to me as she continually stared at my X-rays she had taken that morning. I sat uncomfortably, my own foot shaking in impatience. Just before I was about to say something, the doctor spoke.

"It's incredible." She said. "Simply incredible."

"Um… what is?" I asked. She spun around on her heels to look at me, her eyes seeming to sparkle.

"You! I mean, look at this!" She said, motioning to the X-rays that were hung over an illuminated part of the wall.

"Um, yeah, you're gonna have to translate those…"

The doctor turned back to the polaroid's eagerly, pointing her pen over one shot of my skull.

"The bone has completely healed. There's no trace of damage." She marvelled.

"Of the bullet?"

"Of anything! I'd imagine after the beating you took from those Legions…" She pointed her pen at another X-ray of my ribs.

"You came in here with three broken ribs. But, according to these there's not even a crack. A bone can heal, but not completely back to normal." She moved onto a X-ray of my arm. "Your humerus _and_ your radius were nearly shattered, but look at this! It's completely back to the way it was before."

"And… that's incredible, how?"

The doctor turned sharply to me now. She approached me with a wide smile, her arms out towards me.

"Because," She cupped my face in her hands. "According to all logic, you shouldn't be alive right now. You should've fallen into a comma for at least a month. But here you are!" She brushed her hand over the scar on my forehead. "You're absolutely stunning."

"That's… comforting. Glad you think so…" I muttered. The doctor smiled at me, patting my shoulder encouragingly. She turned to her terminal, the sound of it booting up filled the room.

"Just one last thing, and you're free to go." She chimed.

"Finally…" I said under my breath.

"Oh, don't be like that. Think of it this way, you'll be stronger when you get to the strip. A little more experience under your belt." The doctor said. I shrugged.

"I guess."

"Now, what's your full name?" She asked.

"Jade."

The doctor giggled. "Sweetie, I'm gonna need your _full _name. Last and middle included. If you have a middle name…"

"Fine…. Jade Diamond Almodovar."

The only sound now was of the doctor's fingers tapping away at her keyboard. Then there was complete silence.

"Almodovar, you said?" She asked.

"Yeah…"

"Jade… are you aware of your parents?"

"…Aware?"

"I mean, did you know them?"

"My… my real parents?"

"Yes."

My foot started to shake again, and I took a deep breath.

"No. They died when I was four. I never knew them personally. I actually barely remember them." I explained.

"Crystal and Amato? Is that right?" The doctor asked.

"How the hell do you know that?"

The doctor turned to me, her once sparkly eyes now narrowed in focus.

"They're in the Brotherhood records, known as hero's." She looked back at her terminal. "It's said here that they sacrificed themselves for something called 'Project Purity.' Do… do you know what any of that is about?" She asked, turning back to me. I shrugged.

"A bit. But not a whole lot. They died when I was little."

The doctor pursed her lips together, inhaling deeply through her nose. Then she forced a smile.

"Well, it's all in the past now. Right now you've got to worry about getting to that strip." She explained, coming towards me yet again. "What do you plan to do there, anyway?" She asked as she pried the bandage off of my mark.

"Find the man who shot me."

"Ha, yeah, then what?"

I shrugged. "Not sure. Maybe return the favour."

The doctor nodded.

"I see. Be careful. You may be able to heal fast, but…" She rubbed her thumb over the scar on my forehead. "You're not immortal."

"Got it. Thanks, doc."

"Oh please." She smiled. "Call me Barb."

* * *

It was a quiet trip to Vegas. The only sound was from Boone and I's feet as we walked down the dirt road. Neither of us were in the mood to talk, so we didn't. To my surprise, it wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be. Boone spotted prey long before I could, and by the time I thought I saw what he did, the creature was already dead. I decided to keep him around for a while… or at least while I was still travelling. After the run in with Brad, I knew that we shared similar opinions on the Legion.

"Boone, can we stop for a second?" I asked. Boone looked at me, and I could tell he was worried.

"What do you need?" He asked.

"Um… can you just wait for me here? I need to do something."

Boone just nodded without question. I walked far enough from Boone that was comfortable, and pulled Brad's flask from my pocket.

_Gotten over me already? _

My fingers ran through the engraved name, tears forming in my eyes.

_Any last words, babe?_

Then I threw it as far as I possibly could. In the distance I heard the clang of the metal hitting the hard dirt ground. I wiped away the tears that ran down my cheeks, and turned away, not looking back. When I got back to Boone, he was looking at me in worry again. * She's gonna shoot it in the air.

"Everything good?" He asked.

"Yeah. Let's just get going." I replied. Boone nodded.

"Alright."

It was late by the time we got to the outskirts of Vegas, entering through the south. Immediately we regretted it as we heard the sound of large wings flapping through the air. We both stopped dead in our tracks.

"Oh god…" Boone muttered under his breath.

"Is that what I think it is?" I asked, copying Boone and clutched my rifle in my hands.

"On the count of three, we make a break for it."

"Got it."

I relied on Boone again to spot the danger before me, but was soon left in vane as I saw a bright orange wing flash from the corner of a building.

"There." I said. Boone spotted it shortly after, and nodded his head.

"One."

The wing fluttered behind the building for two seconds before fluttering back into sight, showing half of the creatures grotesque body.

"Two."

Then gun shots ripped through the air. From behind the corner the creature with orange wings came into complete view. A giant Cazador. Boone aimed his rifle at the Cazador in a flash just as a man came behind the corner. He was aiming his shot gun at the creature, shooting blindly at the thing. With a stroke of luck he shot a decent sized hole through the wings of the creature. But Cazador's are more relentless than that. It continued to come after the man, stinger out, ready to inject a lethal dose of venom.

"Shoot it, Boone." I said suddenly.

Boone took a few seconds to aim, but when he shot he merely skimmed the Cazador's body. It flinched and turned toward us.

"What the hell was that?!" I shouted, turning to him.

"It moves too fast." He spat back, shooting again, hitting it in the wing this time. I cursed, aiming my rifle and shooting the first bit of body I saw. The Cazador went flying backwards, picking itself up with a spastic flapping of his wings. I shot him again, making him stagger a little more. Then it flew full speed towards us, it's stinger lunging forward. I aimed again, but before I could shoot, Boone shoved me aside. I nearly lost my footing just as Boone made one last shot. The Cazador fell to the ground, motionless. We all paused for what seemed like hours, staring at the carcass, bleeding yellow goo into the earth. It's hind legs twitched, making the man with the shot gun send another bullet flying into the Cazador. It's body nearly broke in two.

"… I think you got it." I said. The man with the shot gun looked up at us, panting heavily.

"I'm Doug… I think I owe you two a thank you." He said. Boone nodded his head simply, putting his rifle away. I stepped towards Doug, my hand reached out.

"I'm Jay, this is Boone." I said. Doug timidly shook my hand, shifting his eyes between Boone and I.

"Where are you two heading?" He asked nervously.

"Inside the strip."

Doug's eyes narrowed.

"Oh, you've gotta go through Freeside to get there." He explained. Boone and I only stared at him blankly.

"Freeside? The most ghetto, most dangerous part of all of New Vegas?"

I blinked a few times at him, still not getting it.

"I'm aware of Freeside." Boone said suddenly. I swung around towards him, my eyes wide.

"Do you? The most '_dangerous part of all of New Vegas_?'" I mocked. Boone only chuckled. Him and I knew _that_ was bull.

"Look, if you guys want to get to the strip, there's no way around Freeside, so…" Doug explained.

"Don't worry about us, Dougie. We can handle it." I said, putting my rifle on my back again. I motioned for Boone to come with me, who did in a second. I kicked the Cazador as we walked by. After a few seconds Boone spoke up.

"You don't have to follow us, you know."

"Freeside is dangerous. You'll need help." Doug said. I didn't even know he was following us…

"Seems to me that we did most of the helping back there." Boone said.

I rolled my eyes and turned to Doug.

"Do _you_ need help through Freeside?" I asked.

"Me? Haha! Do I… Do I look like…" He paused, then sighed. "Yeah, yeah I do." He said in deflation. I chuckled loudly, turning back to the road.

"Well, feel free to come with us. Could always use another party member in the most '_dangerous part of all of New Vegas.'_" I could almost feel Doug roll his eyes at me.

* * *

Freeside _was_ dangerous. It wasn't a pit full of mutants and death claws, but it sure kept you on your toes. Constantly there were people coming at us with pistols, switchblades, and sometimes even machetes. Fortunately, you could hear them before you see them. It became a bit of a game as to who could kill the most. Of course, Boone won, but I was pretty close. Doug, with his shot gun, only killed about one and a half. He shot one thug in the shoulder, only managing to slow him down, then Boone took the rest of the kill. It was put down as an assisted kill. We finally made it to the entrance of the strip. It was pretty underwhelming… The gate was rather small, and was surrounded by some familiar looking robots. I stared at them for a few minutes, trying my best to remember where they were from… I thought of a picture of a cowboy, a cigar hanging out of his mouth. Then it clicked. Victor. The robot that dug me out of my grave. I swallowed deeply, narrowing my eyes at them.

"Slow down…" Doug muttered from behind me, breathing heavily. I ignored him, and continued onward. Benny was behind those doors. I could almost see him, with his stupid smirk, his flashy checkered suit staring at me with those piercing eyes.

_Hello, baby doll…_

I imagined sending a bullet through his head, anticipating the peace I would finally feel afterwards. We were so close to the gate that I could almost smell the cigarette from Benny's mouth when Boone grabbed my arm. I turned to him sharply.

"What the hell?" I spat.

Boone nodded in the direction of the gates, and I snapped my head back. A man sprinted past the Victor robots, eyes locked onto the gate.

"Halt!" One of the robots cried, but the man continued on. Just before he touched the gate he was showered with bullets. His body hit the ground just as fast as he had ran. Then silence.

"I remember this… we need a few things before we can get in." Boone said simply.

"You're fucking kidding me…"

"No, he's not." Doug chimed up from behind us. "We need either one thousand caps, or a passport."

We put all of our caps together, and still we didn't have enough. I let my hand fall limp to my side, sighing over dramatically.

"Great. How the fuck do we find a passport?" I asked harshly.

"The King." Doug looked up at us.

"What?"

"The King. He basically runs Freeside… he might be able to help." He said.

I smiled darkly at him.

"Well shit, Dougie is useful. May I call you Dougie?"

"I'd rather you not…"

"Point the way, Dougie!"

The King was stationed in a strange looking building, lights flashing different colours, illuminated illusions of dancing men all over the entrance. On the top of the door it said "The Kings." It looked like it could almost belong in Vegas itself. We walked in to immediately be greeted by men in stripped shirts, leather jackets, tight pants and slicked back hair. They looked terrible. But they walked around with their noses up in the air, arrogance seeming to make them float from the ground. Something about them reminded me of Benny… and I wondered if perhaps he was part of this stupid 'club' before. Dougie lead us to a door in the corner of a room, where one of the Kings men leaned near the door.

"What do we have here? Another petitioner for the King?" He asked, stopping us with his hand. He had a weird accent that I've never heard before… There was something about it that annoyed me.

"We'd like to see the King. If possible." I explained.

"Anything's possible, I suppose. How much is it worth to you to meet the big man?" He asked, his eyes narrowing deviously as a small wicked grin appeared on his face. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Just before I could respond Dougie spoke up.

"We're actually new in town, and wanted to pay respects to the King."

Huh. I guess the new kid knows what he's doing.

The guy stared at Dougie for a few seconds before answering.

"You know what? I like you. Half of the people around here, they forget who runs this place. Take your friends and head on through. The King's the bored-looking guy by the stage. Can't fuckin' miss him." He explained, opened the door and motioned us inside. Once we were in we immediately noticed a drunk looking guy sloppily swaying back and forth on the stage. He seemed to be singing, but luckily the mic hadn't been turned on. He swished a cup of gold liquid in his cup, and seemed to be enjoying himself. Just a few tables in front of him sat a man in a dirty white coat, a robotic dog sitting patiently next to him.

"That's him." Dougie said. "Follow my lead."

If he had asked me to do that five minutes ago I'd have told him to piss up a rope. But something in the way he opened up since we walked through the front doors gave me reason enough to trust him. The King turned his head to us, and flashed a sideways smile as he made eye contact with Dougie.

"Look, Rexie, someone new's come to see us. Poor boy. He hasn't been feeling well lately." He patted Rexie's head softly, making Rexie's tail wag happily. "I'm the King. What can I do for you?" He asked.

"I was hoping you may have some work for the three of us." Dougie explained.

Work? This fucker better know what he's doing. The King took a few seconds to think. Then responded slowly.

"Maybe so. Maybe so. You guys look like you might be able to handle yourself's out there. Tell you what. You do me a favour, and I'll have some more work for you when it's done. Sound good?"

"Got it. What do you need us to do?"

"I'll start you guys off with something easy. Did you notice the bodyguards for hire near the gates when you enter Freeside?"

"Sure did. We didn't think we needed them." I explained.

"Maybe not. It's good money if you can stay alive long enough. Fireside's not as safe as it used to be, so the money is well earned. Usually well earned, that is. Recently my men tell me that one of those bodyguards, fellow named Orris, is making a little _too_ much money. He's making a killing in repeat business. Once someone hires him they never want anyone else. I want you three to find out why." The King explained.

"So what exactly do you want us to do?" Dougie asked.

"Specifically, I want one of you to hire him. Play the part of an innocent tourist and follow his lead. If nothing happens, so be it. But I'm guessing things won't go so smoothly. Since there's more than one of you, you can take turns until you see something. Or if you see something. Call it a hunch. So what do you say?"

"Sure." Dougie nodded his head before Boone or I could agree.

"Okay, then. Once you part ways with 'em, return here. I'll look forward to hearing your report. Oh, and take this to cover the hiring cost." The King reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a hand full of caps folded in brown paper. I snatched it before Dougie could get a hold of it.

Okay, I trusted the guy, but not that much.

Once we walked out of the building Boone spoke both of our minds.

"So what, we taken orders from that boss guy or whatever?" He asked.

"He's The King, and we're just doing this job for him to get him on our good side. We don't just go up asking for a favour." Dougie explained.

The more I thought about it, the more I realised he was right. As much as I hated to admit it.

"Fair enough. So who want's to go first?" I asked.

* * *

Boone sat back on his chair, arms tightly crossed around his chest. I sat next to him, relaxed yet ready. Finally, the door opened to reveal Dougie, who was scratching his head.

"Did you see anything?" Boone asked.

"Dunno. I don't think so…" He mumbled.

There was silence again as Dougie took a seat on the other side of the room. Somebody had to go next.

"Alright." I slapped my hands on my legs as I stood up. "I'll go."

"That Orris guy is wearing metal armour. Can't miss 'em." Dougie called after me, tossing me the roll of caps.

He wasn't hard to spot, and stuck out like a sore thumb within the small queue of body guards. His dark eyes lit up when he saw me walking towards him.

"Another customer? Smart choice. Freeside is a dangerous place. Not many make it on their own." He said, smirking cockily.

"I made it this far alright." I stated blatantly.

"Don't expect to make it any farther without somebody like me. If you want to stay alive, you'll come with me. It'll just be the small fee of pay me two hundred caps." Orris said, puffing out his chest. I resisted the urge to gag. He looked like an arrogant version of Brad… I handed him the caps the King gave us, then we walked down Freeside, towards the gates. He kept a sharp pace, and I found it a little hard to follow him. But he didn't seem to care. He was more focused on something off in the distance. I guess Boone was taking it easy on me lately… The worst part about all of this was that Orris kept rambling about stupid things in Freeside. But I didn't listen. All I could think about was Brad, and imagining him walking in this dangerous place to trade with people on the Strip. I could imagine his face as he saw a thug coming towards him with a knife, and him pulling the trigger with no hesitation. I imagined everything up to his smell, after a long treck from our little bungalows. Sweat stains would darken his shirt as he made it into the Strip, and the first thing he'd do is look for somebody to trade with, no matter what he looked like. He would probably be de-hydrated and exhausted, but wouldn't care. All he'd be focused on was making enough caps to support his family.

"Hold up." Orris said, stopping and pointing in the distance. "I don't like the look of those thugs over there."

"Why don't we just shoot them?" I asked. Orris shook his head.

"Let's try to avoid them. Follow me." He said, and rushed down an alley way. I frowned as I hurried to keep up. We ran down the alleyway behind some buildings, until suddenly Orris started to sprint off in front of me.

"Wait!" I called, struggling to keep up. I turned the corner just as Orris shot four thugs that had come towards him. He stood in the middle of the bodies, grinning arrogantly at me. "What the flying fuck was that?!" I shouted. Orris frowned slightly.

"I got them. It was a close call." He said simply, and began to walk away.

"I only heard three shots." I called after him. Orris turned to me, his grin completely gone.

"What?"

"There are four people dead." I said, pointing at the bodies. "But I only heard three shots."

Orris smiled at me. But this time it was strained.

"That's because I expertly aimed through some soft tissue through one man, and hit another with the same bullet." He explained. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"But that's not possible…" I mumbled. Orris lost his charm in a second, and began scowling at me.

"Hey, who's the professional here? Huh?" He asked angrily. He waited for an answer, but I didn't give him one. "I am! Alright? _You're_ paying _me_! Now come on!" He turned away, this time moving quickly.

"Psst!" Somebody whispered behind me. I turned and saw Dougie crouching next to one of the bodies.

"We've got a problem." He said. I moved towards him, looking over my shoulder to keep check of Orris.

"What is it?" I asked quietly, crouching with him. Dougie stared sternly at me… he looked scared.

"These people aren't dead." He said. I looked down at the body in front of me, suddenly noticing the breathing. The thug's eyes flew open, his angry gaze finding mine right away.

"Shit!" I yelled, jumping up and backing away. All the thugs sprung to their feet, pulling pistols from their belts. Then in an instance, gun shots ripped through the air, and everyone around us fell back down again, this time there was no doubt they were dead. Dougie and I looked to see Boone holding his rifle up, looking towards us.

"You two okay?" he asked.

"You know, we could've handled that." Dougie said, pulling the pistol from one of the thug's belts.

"Five shots." I said, looking in the distance.

"What?" Dougie asked.

"I counted five shots. There were four thugs." I said.

"I counted five assholes." Boone said simply. I looked to where Orris had been, and saw the metal armoured body laying motionless on the ground. I smiled, turning back to Boone.

"Five assholes. I must've miss counted."

* * *

The King smirked at us as we walked towards him. I was beginning to think his face was permanently stuck like that.

"What do you have for me?" The King asked.

"Orris shouldn't be a problem anymore." Dougie replied. He was trying too hard to sound tough. It was kind of embarrassing.

"So it went down like that, huh? I guess it can't be helped now. You guys aren't subtle, but you get the job done. That's good enough for me. Here are the caps." He reached under his chair and handed us even more hand rolled caps. Just by looking at them, I knew it wasn't enough.

"You guys looking for more work, or will you be on your way…"

"Is there anything we could do for your dog?" I asked before he could finish. Out of his smug look the King almost looked taken aback.

"Well… now that you mention it, there is. Rex has been acting peculiar for some time now. I took him to the Followers and had him checked out, and they said his brain is bad or something." He replied.

"Can they do anything to help it?" I asked.

"No, they said they don't have the tools to help him. If he doesn't get help soon, they say he's just gonna get worse."

"What can we do to help?"

I felt Boone shuffle impatiently behind me. I tried my best to ignore him.

"I don't know. Maybe. If you found a way to help my poor Rexie here, I'd be much obliged. Your best bet would be to talk to Julie Jarkas over at the Old Mormon Fort north of here. Maybe you'll have better luck than I did."

"Thanks, King. We'll do the best we can to help Rexie."

Boone grabbed my arm once we were outside of the building.

"What the hell are you thinking?" He nearly growled.

"Doing another job will just give us the same amount of caps as before. Doing a personal job means he'll pay more, plus we'll probably get brownie points." I explained quickly.

"She's right, Boone. The King has connections. Hell, he could even get us forged passports." Dougie explained.

"Not to mention he practically runs Freeside. It'd be best to be on his good side." I added.

Boone sighed heavily at me.

"Fine. The Mormon Fort should be just down here."

* * *

Rex growled at Boone as we made our way down the ruined street.

"You gotta take that thing off, buddy." Dougie said.

Boone grumbled, slipping off the beret from his head. I quickly snatched it from him, putting it on my own head. Rex looked up at me, and wagged his tail.

"That's right, I look better in it, don't I?" I asked. Rex barked, making me smile.

"How much longer?" Boone muttered.

"Half an hour walk?"

"Good, cause this fucking dog head is starting to smell." Dougie said. We came across a fiend leader earlier, one that had her dog come charging at us. I shot it in the heart as Boone and Dougie shot the rest of the dogs, and fiends from the camp. It was almost like hunting game… but all we wanted was a brain.

"We'd better start walking faster." Boone explained.

And he was right. We needed a good, healthy brain for Rex, not a baked brain. The mountains were a little more chilly than I had imagined, and I began to shiver in my tank top and cut off pants. I looked over at Boone in his wife beater shirt, not even flinching at the cold.

"How the hell can you do that?" I asked angrily.

"Muscle is warm. Maybe you should get some." He said with a hint of a smile.

"Ah, screw you." I said, lightly hitting him in the shoulder.

As we approached Jacobstown, we saw in the distance a super mutant standing patiently in the entrance. For a second we thought that it was the super mutant from Black Mountain, but as we crept closer we began to see otherwise.

"Hello, wanderers. What brings you to Jacobstown?" He asked. His voice was calm and relaxed. He sounded more human than the mutant from Black Mountain had. It was kind of creepy.

"We've come to see the doctor that is stationed here." Dougie announced.

"And why would you need him?"

"Rex, our dog, has a bit of a problem with his brain. We were told this doctor could fix him up proper."

The super mutant seemed to think about this for a second, then nodded his head.

"Welcome. My names Marcus. I am Jacobstown's leader. Before you three head in, we have some rules that you must abide by." He explained.

"Shoot." I said.

"Don't steal, don't kill, and don't look at the Nightkin. They've developed schizophrenia due to the stealth boys they use. They don't like to be seen… especially by humans. If you follow these simple rules, you'll be fine out here." Marcus said.

"Got it. Don't steal, kill, or stare at Nightkin." I repeated.

"Correct. You'll find Doctor Henry in the lodge. Enjoy Jacobstown, wanderers."

Snow lightly covered the ground near the lodge in the middle of the mountain. I was definitely not used to weather like this… And neither were the boys. They both shivered as we came closer to the lodge.

"What's wrong, Boone, not enough muscle?" I asked. Boone only smirked, and opened the door for Dougie, Rex and I. The inside of the lodge was blissfully warm, and we all stood in the entrance for a few seconds, taking in the heat. Boone frowned, taking off his aviators, and wiping them on his shirt.

"Damn fog…" He said under his breath.

I chuckled softly to myself. To the right was a lab with full of medical machines. I guess that was it. The three of us, including Rex, walked into the lab to see an old man with glasses sitting at a terminal. In the corner, working on a chemistry set, was a woman ghoul. I had never actually seen a ghoul in the melted, radiated flesh before. I held my tongue as we walked closer to Doctor Henry.

"Hello?" I asked.

"What do you want?" He snapped.

"There's something wrong with our Cybor-dog. We were told to come to you." I explained.

Doctor Henry sighed, getting of his chair to inspect Rex. After a few seconds he looked back up at us.

"It's neural degradation. Bio med gel can only preserve a living brain for so long, so you'll need to find a replacement." He explained.

Dougie lifted the bag that contained the dog head in it.

"We've got one." He said simply.

"Very well. Show me what you've brought so I can analyse it's potential." Doctor Henry said.

* * *

Luckily the brain was in good enough condition after our journey. Dougie and I sat next to each other as we waited for Doctor Henry to complete his surgery on Rex. Boone had gone to get some drinks for us. He had been gone for a little while now, and it was getting tedious. I was about to go and find him, and Dougie finally started talking.

"So, what are you two?" He asked. I frowned.

"What do you mean?" I asked back.

"I mean, are you two like dating or something. Married? Friends with benefits?" He winked at me.

"Ew, no. Never." I said, folding my arms around my chest, and folded one leg over the other.

"Come on, you can't lie to me. I know better."

"Seriously, Dougie, get off my tits. We're just friends."

Dougie paused for a second, finally digesting the 'shocking' information that Boone and I weren't an object. Finally Boone rounded the corner with two Nuka Colas in one hand, and a Sunset Sasperella in the other. He handed me the Sasperella first, then sat down next to me. He reached over me to give Dougie the cola.

"Thanks." I said, attempting to open the bottle. Boone seemed to notice, and took it from me.

"One second." He said. He pulled a knife from his pocket, and expertly placed the handle underneath the cap of the Sasperella. In one fluid motion, he popped the cap off, and handed the bottle back to me.

"Thanks again…" I said.

"No problem." He said, doing the same thing to his cola, and taking a large swig out of it.

"Mind helping me out too, prince charming?" Dougie asked. Boone tensed, and I rolled my eyes.

"Dougie, shut the fuck up." I said, making him chuckle.

* * *

The woman ghoul ended up being nicer than I though. Before we left, she gave Boone and I old dusters to keep us warm for the walk back, Dougie refused it… I didn't want to ask why.

I also put on some tights that I had (they were pretty rare, and kind of torn up…) underneath my jeans to keep me warmer.

Rex looked healthier than ever as we walked back to Freeside. The brain we had gotten made him a little more aggressive, and it showed. When there was even a single movement that seemed out of place, he would bark ferociously. Yet, he still listened to me. Not so much Dougie or Boone. Our traveling was always rather quiet. The rambling Dougie would be spouting out normally was gone. Now he was dead silent, staring at the ground as we walked. I was a little confused, but knew better to ask what was wrong. Instead, we just continued onward. Until Dougie stepped in front of us, stopping us in our tracks.

"I can't take it anymore." He growled.

We just stared at him as he looked at us… his fists were clenched, his eyebrows pulled forward wickedly… he was almost shaking.

"You two are the most selfish people I have ever met in my life." He spat.

"Dougie, what the hell are you talking about?" I asked, slightly shocked at his sudden outburst.

"You have the greatest chance of love I have _ever _seen! And you two just sit around, pretending it's not there!" He yelled.

"Dougie, I'll only say this one last time. Get. Off. My. Tits." I spat.

"Make me!" He screamed now. Rex started growling. I reached down to stroke his back, making him calm him down. Dougie took a deep breath through his nose.

"I would _kill_ a thousand men to have a chance at love like you two do. And it kills me to watch this happen."

"What are you saying?" Boone asked.

"I'm saying…" Dougie sighed loudly, looking at the sky. "Either you two realise how just how perfect you are for each other… Or I walk."

"Dougie, don't do this…" I said.

"Don't believe me? I was doing fine until you guys came along! I'm not afraid to leave!" He shouted.

I swallowed deep, looking down at Rex, who was sitting patiently next to me. I could tell Boone was uncomfortable, and I looked up at him. He was already looking at me. Even through his aviators, I could tell what he was thinking. I pursed my lips together.

"Goodbye, Dougie." I said simply.

Dougie stared at us in astonishment, then started shaking his head and backing away.

"You know," He began to laugh "You two must have had some fucking awesome sex with your ex's to not want each other." And with that, he turned and stormed away, around the corner, and disappearing completely out of sight, leaving Boone and I in silence once again.


End file.
